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Minna  von  Barnhelm 


ODER 


DAS   SOLDATENGLUCK 


LUSTSPIEL    IN  FijNF  AUFZUGEN 

Von   G.  E.   LESSING 

1763 

Mit]^  an  Jntrotmction  anti  l^aiz^ 

BY 

SYLVESTER    PRIMER,    Ph.   D., 

PROFESSOR   OF   TEUTONIC    LANGUAGES   IN    THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   TEXAS. 


REVISED   EDITION. 


BOSTON,    U.  S.  A. 

D.   C.   HEATH   AND   CO.,   PUBLISHERS 

1892 


isn^ncATioi:  libh; 


Copyright,  iSSg, 
*By  Sylvester  Primer. 


Ir  d^icc , 


GIFT 


CONTENTS. 


PAG3 

Preface     5 

Introduction 11 

Minna  von  Barnhelm 73 

Critical  and  Explanatory  Notes IGo 

Bibliography 213 


126 


PREFACE. 


THE  present  volume  forms  the  first  of  several  from 
the  writings  of  G.  E.  Lessing  which  will  appear  in 
this  Modern  Language  Series.  The  selection  of  "  Minna 
von  Barnhelm  "  as  a  desirable  text-book  for  schools  and 
colleges  is  based  upon  two  important  considerations,  — 
its  fitness  as  reading  for  the  young,  and  its  value  as  a 
classical  and  literary  work  in  the  study  of  the  German 
language  and  literature.  Educators  will  recognize  the 
difficulty  of  selecting  unobjectionable  works  for  the  class- 
room in  either  modern  or  ancient  languages.  Few  com- 
edies in  the  modern  languages  are  '^as  suitable  to  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  young  as  '  Minna  von  Barn- 
helm.'  The  play  is  highly  entertaining;  nearly  every 
scene  is  a  masterpiece  in  itself ;  the  language  in  which 
it  is  expressed  is  most  pure  and  idiomatic  ;  and  a  noble 
spirit  of  honor,  disinterestedness,  and  generosity  per- 
vades the  whole  piece."  (Buchheim,  Preface,  v.)  The 
style  is  Lessing's  best.  In  this  piece  the  German 
student  can  occupy  himself  "  with  that  close  analytical 
treatment  of  the  language  in  its  word-composition  and 
construction,  its  synonyms  and  idioms,  which  must  pre- 


6  PREFACE. 

cede  any  really  appreciative  study  of  the  literature,  and 
is  indispensable  to  the  mastery  of  the  language  for  prac- 
tical purposes."  (H.  J.  Wolstenholme  in  his  Preface  to 
Gutzkow's  "  Zopf  und  Schwert,"  v.)  In  this  respect  it 
will  form  an  excellent  text-book  for  the  less  advanced 
stages  in  the  study  of  German,  where  a  knowledge  of 
the  language  for  practical  purposes  is  desirable.  But 
Lessing  and  his  works  are  essential  to  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  Germany's  great  classic  period.  Without 
his  labors,  without  his  critical  and  dramatic  works  as 
guide  and  models,  Germany's  second  classic  period  would 
not  have  been  what  it  is.  A  history  of  Lessing's  life  is 
a  history  of  the  first  part  of  this  great  period  ;  and  his 
labors  as  critic  and  dramatist  made  it  brilliant.  "  Minna 
von  Barnhelm  "  marks  a  new  era,  a  new  life,  in  German 
comedy.  Hence  its  importance  in  the  study  of  German 
literature. 

In  the  "  Biographical  Sketch  "  of  Lessing  I  have  given 
all  the  facts  of  his  life  necessary  for  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  man  and  his  influence  upon  the  German 
drama  without  entering  into  wearying  details,  or  such 
discussions  as  belong  only  to  exhaustive  treatises  on  the 
subject.  In  so  short  a  space  as  the  introduction  to  a 
play  must  necessarily  occupy  it  is  impossible  to  trace 
carefully  the  development  of  the  critic  and  dramatist. 
But  it  is  hoped  that  enough  has  been  given  to  aid  the 
teacher  and  student  in  forming  an  intelligent  opinion  of 
the  man  and  his  influence  upon  his  age.  I  have  also 
tried  to  show  the  progress  of  German  literature  from  the 


PREFACE.  7 

time  of  Opitz  to  Lessing,  the  condition  of  the  German 
stage,  and  something  of  the  intellectual  development  of 
the  people  during  this  period.  Only  the  leading  lines  of 
thought  could  be  traced  through  the  long  struggle  for 
emancipation  from  foreign  thraldom  to  the  final  liberty 
gained  by  Lessing  in  his  Hamburg  Dramaturgy  toward 
the  close  of  his  life.  The  importance  of  Lessing  to  the 
study  of  this  period  cannot  be  overestimated,  nor  the  im- 
portance of  "  Minna  "  to  the  proper  understanding  of  the 
modern  German  comedy. 

In  the  "Critical  Analysis"  the  nature  and  merits  of 
the  play  have  been  discussed.  There  is  a  full  analysis 
of  the  characters,  and  an  account  of  the  historical  and 
other  sources  of  the  piece.  The  national  importance  of 
the  play  —  as  being  truly  German  and  written  in  the 
most  natural  and  easy  style,  as  being  of  the  people  and 
not  foreign  to  them  —  is  brought  out. 

The  text  is  based  upon  that  of  Dr.  Robert  Boxberger 
in  Joseph  Kiirschner's  "Deutsche  National-Litteratur," 
Baud  58.  But  few  changes  have  been  made,  and  then 
only  such  as  a  collation  with  the  excellent  text  of  Lach- 
mann-Maltzahn  seemed  to  demand.  The  notes  are  intended 
not  only  to  elucidate  and  explain  the  text,  but  also  to  call 
the  attention  to  the  sesthetical  beauties  of  the  play,  and  to 
show  its  careful  development  according  to  the  dramatic 
rules  laid  down  by  Lessing  in  his  critical  works  on  the 
drama.  My  aim  has  been  to  make  the  play  not  only  a 
study  of  Lessing  the  dramatist,  but  also  of  Lessing  the 
critic,  in  his  own  dramas.     Lessing  was  above  all  a  pro- 


8  PREFACE. 

ductive  critic ;  and  his  various  works  show  his  progress 
in  criticism,  and  are  as  essential  to  the  study  of  the  critic 
as  his  purely  critical  works.  The  ''Minna"  completes 
his  study  of  the  comedy ;  for  he  never  made  a  second 
attempt  on  this  field.  I  have  endeavored  to  apply  those 
principles  of  text-criticism  which  have  long  been  recog- 
nized as  standard  in  commentaries  on  Greek  and  Latin 
text-books.  Modern  languages  can  never  take  the  first 
place  in  "  classic  training  "  until  their  classical  produc- 
tions are  edited  with  the  accuracy  and  scholarship 
bestowed  upon  the  classics  of  Greece  and  Rome. 

The  "  Bibliography  "  at  the  end  contains  a  list  of  the 
authors  consulted  in  writing  the  Introduction  and  notes. 
Wherever  I  have  quoted  verbatim  I  have  given  proper 
credit ;  but  wherever  I  have  only  used  the  information 
and  hints  contained  in  the  different  works  read  in  the 
preparation  it  has  not  been  possible  to  quote  authority, 
as  often  the  thoughts  of  different  writers  have  been 
united.  Originality  in  investigations  is  imperative ;  but 
in  an  introduction  to  a  text-book  it  is  desirable  to  give 
the  latest  information  in  regard  to  the  author  and  the 
work  edited.  I  have  therefore  freely  used  the  authors 
mentioned  in  the  "  Bibliography,"  and  here  make  this 
acknowledgment  of  my  indebtedness  to  them. 

My  warm  thanks  are  also  due  to  several  of  my  col- 
leagues who  have  given  me  valuable  advice  about  the 
Introduction  and  notes.  I  am  especially  indebted  to 
President  H.  E.  Shepherd,  of  the  College  of  Charleston, 
S.  C. ;   Prof.  E.  S.  Joynes,  South  Carolina  University ; 


PREFACE.  9 

Mr.  H.  R.  Lang,  of  the  Swain  Free  School,  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass. ;  Prof.  Calvin  Thomas,  Michigan  University ; 
Prof.  W.  T.  Hewett,  Cornell  University ;  Prof.  H.  C.  G. 
Brandt,  Hamilton  College  ;  Prof.  L.  A.  Rhoades,  Michi- 
gan University ;  and  Prof.  H.  C.  G.  Von  Jagemann, 
Harvard  University.  In  conclusion  I  would  express  the 
hope  that  this  edition  may  increase  the  popularity  of 
Germany's  masterpiece  in  the  field  of  comedy. 

SYLVESTER  PRIMER. 
Providence,  R.  I.,  October,  1889. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  historiau  of  German  literature  likes  to  dwell 
upon  its  two  great  classic  periods,  both  significant 
and  instructive  to  the  modern  student  of  civilization, 
since  they  are  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  true 
German  spirit.  The  first  produced  the  great  minne- 
singers, who,  in  imitation  of  the  troubadours  and 
trouveres  of  the  Romance  nations,  sang  of  love  and 
chivalry,  but  with  more  natural  feelings,  and  with  a 
philosophical  insight  quite  foreign  to  their  neighbors. 
The  later  period  —  which  began  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  closed  with  the  death  of  Goethe 
in  1832 — is  the  age  of  rapid  progress  in  all  departments 
of  the  intellectual  life  of  man.  It  is  characterized  by  the 
development,  if  not  the  birth,  of  aesthetical  criticism,  in 
which  the  Germans  excel.  Possibly  they  may  not  be  able 
to  show  so  many  and  so  great  creative  geniuses  as  are 
found  in  some  of  the  neighboring  states ;  but  their 
productive  critics  surpass  those  of  all  other  nations. 
Greatest  among  these  was  Lessing,  —  the  life  of  the 
second  classic  period  of  German  literature.  He  under- 
stood better  than  any  other  Germany's  mission,  and  con- 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

tributed  largely  to  the  elevation  of  Germany  to  its 
present  rank.  He  came  at  an  important  period,  when 
his  country's  literature  was  passing  through  one  of  those 
disheartening  struggles  from  darkness  to  light.  He  be- 
came the  pioneer  to  clear  away  the  confused  ideas  which 
obstructed  the  free  development  of  her  intellectual  life  ; 
he  was  the  beacon  light  which  led  his  contemporaries  to 
that  true  and  independent  position  which  Germany  has 
ever  since  occupied.  His  appearance  upon  the  literary 
horizon  is  as  refreshing  as  when  a  thunder-storm  bursts 
upon  us  in  a  sultry  day  and  disperses  the  oppressive 
heat,  purifying  and  cooling  the  atmosphere.  The  hot 
and  bitter  battle  between  Gottsched  and  the  Swiss  had 
bewildered  and  confused  the  minds  of  their  contempora- 
ries to  such  an  extent  that  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the 
problem  seemed  an  impossibility.  All  were  at  a  loss  or 
far  from  the  true  course.  At  this  moment  Lessing  began 
his  literary  career,  and  brought  to  the  conflict  that  vigor 
and  freshness  of  thought,  that  clear  perception  and 
accurate  judgment,  which  have  placed  Germany  at  the 
head  of  the  intellectual  life  of  modern  times.  The 
progress  made  in  every  branch  of  science  by  modern 
investigators  is  much  more  the  result  of  his  efforts 
than  is  generally  conceded.  His  unwearied,  undis- 
mayed, restless,  yet  ever  active  spirit  waged  a  con- 
stant war  against  restriction  of  all  kinds.  "Not  being 
so  deeply  rooted  in  the  Lusatian  soil  as  Goethe  in  the 
Franconian,  or  Schiller  in  the  Swabian,"  his  was  the  true 
cosmopolitan   spirit.     It  was  well    for   Germany — nay. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

for  all  Europe,  for  modern  thought  —  that  a  Lessing  was 
present  to  guide  during  the  first  period  of  its  awakening 
intellectual  life. 

In  tracing  the  development  of  every  genius  no  little 
importance  is  to  be  attached  to  birthplace,  to  parentage, 
to  the  intellectual  status  of  the  early  home,  to  family 
prejudice,  to  environments,  and  to  education.  Lusatia, 
the  province  in  which  Lessing  first  saw  the  light,  does  not 
rank  among  the  most  fruitful  literary  lands  of  Germany ; 
nor  does  his  natal  city,  Kamenz,  stand  the  highest  of  the 
six  cities  in  it ;  yet  it  is  not  altogether  barren  of  literary 
merit.  Following  in  the  wake  of  Silesia,  Lusatia  imbibed 
some  of  that  love  of  culture  which  made  the  former  so 
renowned,  during  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, when  the  first  Silesian  school  gathered  around 
Martin  Opitz.  In  the  period  before  the  Reformation 
Western  Germany,  Franconia,  and  the  Middle  and  Lower 
Rhine  were  the  seat  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  progress. 
After  Luther's  time  Saxony  outstripped  this  region,  and 
extended  its  sway  even  to  those  regions  where  German 
blood  was  mixed  with  Slavonic.  Silesia  and  its  northern 
neighbor,  Lusatia,  shared  in  this  literary  movement.  In 
one  of  the  principal  cities  of  Lusatia,  Gorlitz,  was  formed 
that  society  for  the  purification  of  the  German  language 
which  Gottsched  afterwards  changed  to  the  Deutsche 
Gesellschaft,  and  made  the  chief  organ  of  his  reforms. 
From  Kamenz  in  Lusatia  came  Lessing,  who  first  un- 
derstood how  to  clothe  profound  thoughts  in  pure  and 
elegant  language. 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

The  family  of  Lessing  can  be  traced  back  with  great 
probability  to  the  year  1409.  His  grandfather,  Theophi- 
lus  Lessing,  had  many  qualities  which  mark  the  man  of 
distinction.  The  son  of  a  burgomaster,  he  enjoyed  all 
the  advantages  which  such  a  station  in  life  afforded  just 
after  the  close  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  He  was  born 
two  years  before  the  peace.  Unfortunately  his  father 
lost  all  his  property  when  his  native  city  was  burned,  and 
he  was  sent  to  the  University  of  Leipzig  with  only  two 
dollars  in  his  pocket.  Here  he  entered  upon  the  battle 
of  life  with  indefatigable  courage.  His  knowledge  and 
the  faculty  of  imparting  it  did  him  excellent  service  ;  and 
the  money  earned  by  coaching  defrayed  his  expenses 
while  studying.  He  was  not  an  able  writer,  though  pos- 
sessed of  a  tolerant  spirit,  as  seen  in  his  essay  on  "  De 
Religionum  Tolerantia,"  —  which,  however,  we  must  not 
interpret  in  the  sense  of  later  religious  tolerance.  We  see 
in  him  the  fitting  predecessor  of  his  greater  grandchild. 
Lessing  certainly  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  long  line  of 
educated  ancestors.  The  efforts  and  activity  of  the 
family  from  generation  to  generation  had  been  directed 
to  the  development  of  a  high  intellectual  life  ;  and  their 
productions  had  gradually  raised  them  above  the  general 
average.  There  was  a  hereditary  inclination  to  literary 
studies  perceptible  among  all  his  ancestors  ;  but  this  pre- 
dilection was  more  than  ordinarily  great  in  his  father, 
John  Gottfried  Lessing,  born  in  Kamenz  in  1693.  After 
his  graduation  he  was  called  to  the  position  of  assistant 
pastor  at  home.     In    1725   he   married   Justine    Salome 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

Feller,  the  daughter  of  the  pastor  primarius  (rector). 
She  was  a  tender  wife  and  careful  mother,  —  the  cheerful 
helpmeet  of  her  husband  in  the  good  old  sense  of  the 
word.  Eight  years  later,  at  the  death  of  his  father-in- 
law,  he  became  pastor  irrimarius,  and  remained  over  the 
church  till  his  death.  The  mother  does  not  seem  to  have 
possessed  superior  intellectual  powers,  but  had  an  abun- 
dance of  good  sense  and  womanly  tact.  Though  Lessing 
never  showed  that  pride  in  her  that  he  did  in  his  father, 
he  nevertheless  wished  "that  his  wife  might  prove  as 
good  in  every  respect  '  as  we  know  our  mother  was  to  our 
father.'"  Though  in  modest  circumstances,  the  family 
ranked  among  the  first  in  the  city  of  Kamenz.  The  dis- 
tress so  painfully  felt  in  after  years  did  not  affect  the 
youth  of   the  eldest  son  and  second  child. 

Gotthold  Ephraim  Lessing  was  born  at  Kamenz  on  the 
22d  day  of  January,  1729,  — in  a  period  remarkable  for 
the  great  men  it  produced.  To  this  age  belong  Winkel- 
mann  (1717),  Klopstock  (1724),  Kant  (1724),  Hamann 
(1730),  AYieland  (1733),  Herder  (1744),  Goethe  (1749), 
and  Schiller  (1759).  At  an  early  age  he  showed  a  great 
love  of  books;  and  his  father  says  of  him,  that  "from 
the  earliest  years  [he]  learned  with  ease  and  pleasure, 
and  liked  to  while  away  time  by  glancing  through 
books."  (Sime.)  During  his  first  years  he  was  taught 
at  home  by  a  cousin,  Christlieb  Mylius ;  but  at  the  age 
of  eight  he  was  sent  to  the  city  public  school,  where  he 
remained  till  1741.  The  principal,  Heinitz,  was  a  capa- 
ble young  man,  of  an  active  mind  and  enlightened  ideas, 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

who  took  an  interest  not  only  in  science,  but  also  in 
literature.  He  was  in  active  sympathy  with  the  Gott- 
sched  movement  in  Leipzig,  and  in  17-40  wrote  an  essay 
on  "  The  Theatre  as  a  School  for  Eloquence."  Far  in 
advance  of  his  age,  he  discussed  boldly  the  progressive 
theories  and  doctrines  then  agitating  the  thinking  world, 
—  a  sufficient  reason  for  withdrawing  the  boy  and  send- 
ing him  elsewhere.  At  Easter,  1741,  Pastor  Lindner  in 
Putzkau,  an  old  friend  of  his  father,  undertook  to  pre- 
pare the  young  Lessing  to  enter  the  Prince's  school  of 
St.  Afra  in  Meissen  in  the  following  June.  Lindner  was 
a  former  pupil  of  St.  Afra,  and  through  his  influence  or 
in  some  way  unknown  to  us,  Lessing  received  a  scholar- 
ship in  the  disposal  of  the  Carlowitz  family.  The  boy 
was  now  nearly  thirteen,  and  his  ripe  scholarship  easily 
caused  the  authorities  to  set  aside  the  rule  that  no  pupil 
should  be  admitted  before  the  age  of  fourteen. 

St.  Afra  in  Meissen  was  one  of  those  three  Prince's 
schools,  or  gymnasia, — Grimma,  Meissen  (St.  Afra), 
and  Pforta,  —  which  the  Elector  Maurice  founded  from 
the  three  monasteries  suppressed  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation.  They  were  the  seats  of  thorough  classic 
learning,  though  still  bearing  the  odor  of  the  old  monastic 
spirit  of  their  earlier  days.  The  old  monkish  manner  of 
life  also  clung  to  them,  especially  in  the  strict  discipline, 
in  the  Bible  catechism,  and  in  the  study  of  theology  and 
church  history.  St.  Afra  was  especially  beneficial  to 
Lessing ;  for  here  he  laid  the  foundation  of  that  broad 
and  free  intellectual  culture  which  made  him  the  literary 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

giant  of  his  age.  Though  belonging  to  various  classes 
of  society,  the  scholars  enjoyed  perfect  equality,  —  a  cir- 
cumstance which  tended  to  foster  a  democratic  spirit. 
Besides  the  classics,  French,  Mathematics,  Geography, 
History,  Hebrew,  Logic,  and  Moral  Philosophy  belonged 
to  the  full  course.  Livy,  Virgil,  Horace,  Cornelius 
Nepos,  Cicero's  Letters  and  Orations,  Eutropius,  Ovid, 
Phaedrus  were  the  Latin  authors  read  while  there  ;  the 
New  Testament,  Isocrates,  Plutarch,  Sophocles,  and 
Anacreon,  were  the  Greek.  Prose  composition  occupied 
a  goodly  part  of  the  day's  work,  —  an  irksome  duty  for 
Lessing,  who  did  not  relish  the  dry  routine  study  of  the 
school. 

Though  the  classics  were  first  on  the  curriculum,  they 
were  not  absolute.  The  German  language  was  not 
neglected,  even  if  the  instruction  in  it  was  of  a  primitive 
kind.  The  commencement  of  the  study  of  an  excellent 
style  and  the  cultivation  of  the  mother-tongue  began  to 
manifest  itself  in  different  parts  of  the  country ;  and  the 
three  great  schools  were  not  the  last  to  promote  the 
movement.  The  German  poets  were  discussed  and  their 
study  encouraged ;  even  poetic  composition  by  the 
scholars  was  countenanced,  and  the  work  thus  produced 
was  criticised  and  commended.  Lessing  here  first  began 
to  devote  himself  to  poetic  composition ;  and  we  still 
have  some  of  his  verses  w^ritten  at  St.  Afra. 

These  schools  did  not,  however,  owe  their  great  suc- 
cess to  mere  routine  work,  as  that  was  not  intended  to 
occupy  all  the  time  of  the  scholars.     There  were  about 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

sixty  holidays  in  the  year,  which  every  one  could  use 
as  he  pleased  and  all  were  encouraged  to  devote  to 
private  study.  This  was  a  precious  privilege  to  Lessing  ; 
and  we  know  that  the  interest  there  awakened  in  him  for 
various  studies  had  the  greatest  influence  upon  his  Mfe- 
w^ork.  It  was  a  foretaste  of  that  search  after  truth  so 
characteristic  of  the  mature  man.  He  studied  more  in 
the  sense  of  the  philologist,  and  sought  to  draw  practical 
lessons  from  antiquity.  These  early  studies  with  the 
right  conception  of  all  study  led  him  to  that  perfect 
understanding  of  the  spirit  of  ancient  literature  and 
works  of  art.  "  It  was  actual  contact  with  the  minds  of 
the  ancients  that  kindled  his  sympathies  and  interest." 
Outside  of  his  regular  course  he  read  Theophrastus, 
Plautus,  Terence,  and  Anacreon.  From  these  authors 
he  first  obtained  a  fresher  insight  into  life  and  a  truer 
knowled2:e  of  mankind.  In  them  he  discovered  a  foun- 
tain  of  wit  and  satire  which  reacted  upon  himself  and 
awakened  his  dormant  talents.  There  he  found  models 
of  style,  especially  in  Terence,  and  he  says  in  a  letter  to 
his  mother  that  they  taught  him  to  know  himself.  Their 
influence  upon  the  future  poet  is  not  to  be  ignored. 

However  instructive  studies  and  books,  however  excel- 
lent authors  and  the  ideas  of  eminent  men  may  be  for  the 
intellectual  development,  they  lack  that  personal  magne- 
tism which  has  such  an  inspiriting  effect  upon  the  young 
mind  when  brought  into  contact  with  that  of  a  respected 
teacher.  Lessing  was  especially  fortunate  at  this  period  of 
his  life,  so  critical  for  the  future  man,  in  finding  the  warmest 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

sympathy  and  the  sure  guiding  hand  of  an  interested  and 
attractive  master.  All  the  teachers  of  St.  Afra  share  in  the 
glory  of  their  celebrated  pupil ;  but  one  alone  exerted  the 
greatest  influence  upon  him,  the  teacher  of  mathematics, 
Johann  Albert  Klimm,  well  known  among  his  contempo- 
raries for  his  contributions  to  astronomy,  —  a  man  of 
"thorough  and  varied  knowledge,"  of  liberal  views,  and 
standing  high  in  his  own  department,  indefatigable,  and 
ready  to  aid  all  students  with  the  great  store  of  his 
knowledge  (IStahr,  i.  23).^  Lessing  became  his  devoted 
follower,  and  from  him  he  received  those  broad  ideas  of 
culture  which  make  the  truly  learned  man.  Conversant 
with  English,  French,  and  Italian,  Klimm  directed  Les- 
sing's  attention  to  these  literatures,  but  more  especially 
to  the  best  German  writers  of  the  day,  —  to  Hagedorn, 
Gleim,  and  the  Halle  poets,  to  Haller  and  the  rest.  This 
study  of  the  modern  German  poets  was  very  serviceable 
to  Lessing,  since  Hagedorn  had  studied  Horace,  and  the 
Halle  poets  Anacreon,  as  they  had  been  studied  in  Eng- 
land. The  man  Horace  attracted  Hagedorn  as  he  after- 
wards did  Lessing.  The  fact  that  he  was  a  man,  and 
was  capable  of  feeling  joy  and  sorrow  like  himself, 
inspired  the  young  student  with  a  real  interest. 

His  French,  and  probably  also  his  English,  readings 
strengthened  his  love  of  comedy  acquired  by  his  classic 
studies,  and  he  soon  began  to  form  schemes  for  future 
dramas.  His  sketches,  like  "  Damon"  or  "  True  Friend- 
ship," in  which  he  "  presents  a  perfect  t^^pe  of  loyalty 
1  See  "  Bibliography  "  for  the  full  titles. 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

and  generosity,"  are  not  without  historical  value  in  the 
later  development  of  this  distinguished  dramatist.  The 
most  important  attempt  of  this  kind,  on  account  of  its 
later  celebrity,  is  the  "  Young  Savant,"  which  he  sketched 
here,  but  left  incomplete.  The  only  importance  of  the 
piece  is  that  it  affords  a  proof  of  the  early  maturity  of 
Lessing.  His  other  productions  at  Meissen  deserve  no 
particular  mention,  and  only  show  the  active  spirit  and 
indefatigable  zeal  of  the  boy.  His  teachers  were  aware 
of  this  latter  propensity  ;  and  the  rector  speaks  of  him  as 
"  a  horse  needing  double  fodder.  The  lectiones  which 
are  too  difficult  for  the  others  are  but  child's  play  for 
him.  We  can  do  him  no  more  good."  Grabner,  a  teacher, 
adds  that  "  there  was  no  department  of  knowledge  which 
his  active  mind  did  not  desire  and  grasp,  —  only  he  had 
to  be  restrained  sometimes  from  that  distraction  which 
knows  no  bounds."  (Eric  Schmidt,  i.  30.)  Some  of 
these  characteristics  just  mentioned  became  settled  habits 
of  his  later  life.  "  A  good  boy,  but  somewhat  satirical  " 
(ein  wenig  raoquant),  is  the  remark  of  an  inspector.  Nev- 
ertheless we  see  in  the  '*  Young  Savant"  that  his  satire 
was  also  directed  against  himself  as  well  as  against 
others. 

The  regular  course  at  St.  Afra  was  six  years,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  Lessing  had  reached  the  highest 
class.  He  was  far  ahead  of  all  the  other  scholars  in  every 
respect,  and  therefore  begged  his  father  to  take  him  away. 
It  was  only  with  great  difficult}^  that  he  finally  obtained 
his  father's  permission  to  leave,  —  probably  the  battle  of 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

Meissen,  which  turned  the  school  into  a  hospital,  lent 
weight  to  the  boy's  repeated  requests  to  be  allowed  to 
withdraw.  On  the  30th  of  June,  1746,  he  bade  farewell 
to  the  walls  of  St.  Afra,  and  turned  to  his  home  in 
Kamenz,  where  he  passed  the  summer  vacation.  In  the 
autumn  he  took  leave  of  parents  and  friends,  and  set 
out  for  the  University  of  Leipzig,  being  matriculated  on 
Sept.  26,  1716.  The  same  kind  friends  who  had  given 
him  a  scholarship  at  St.  Afra  are  supposed  to  have 
awarded  him  his  Leipzig  scholarship  also.  Thus  he  be- 
gan his  university  life  under  particularly  bright  prospects. 
What  an  immense  difference  did  he  find  between  the  quiet 
seclusion  of  St.  Afra  and  busy,  bustling  Leipzig,  to 
which  his  educational  course  now  led  him  I  Even  in  his 
very  deviations  from  the  regular  course  Lessing  was 
essentially  true  to  his  earlier  studies  begun  in  Meissen, 
enlarging  and  expanding  his  knowledge  in  every  direc- 
tion. He  now  saw  the  real  world  for  the  first  time.  The 
impressions  vv^hich  it  made  upon  the  morally  and  physi- 
cally sound  young  man  were  often  overwhelming,  but 
on  the  whole  good.  They  aided  him  in  the  work  of 
freeing  himself  from  the  spirit  of  intolerance  and  preju- 
dice so  characteristic  of  the  period,  and  contributed 
powerfully  to  his  complete  education.  The  secluded  life 
which  he  had  hitherto  led  had  left  him  shy  and  awkward  ; 
but  the  new  scenes  now  opened  before  his  dazzled  e3^es, 
without  a  word  of  warning,  were  soon  to  show  him  his 
deficiencies  at  their  worst,  and  to  arouse  him  to  an  effort 
to  remedy  them.     He  soon  saw  that  all  knowledge  is  not 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

contained  in  books  :  he  must  study  men  and  things.  For 
this  he  had  come  to  the  right  city.  The  book-trade  and 
fairs  of  Leipzig  drew  crowds  of  traders  from  all  parts  of 
the  world,  and  all  was  activity  and  movement.  Wealth 
was  accumulated,  which  gave  leisure  for  culture  and 
society.  The  leading  university  of  Germany  was  a 
prominent  feature  of  attraction,  around  which  the  social 
and  intellectual  life  centred.  It  was  then  a  gay  city,  and 
corresponded  to  the  modern  Berlin.  "  Goethe  called  it 
a  small  Paris."  Modern  German  civilization  centred 
there.  "  Surely  the  very  place  to  develop  a  great  man." 
It  was  also  the  seat  of  journalism,  and  offered  a  good 
opening  to  a  ready  writer.  We  can  easily  imagine  how 
enticing  all  this  must  have  been  to  this  young  man  of 
fiery  and  ambitious  temperament,  especially  after  his  first 
piece,  "  The  Young  Savant,"  had  been  received  with  such 
applause. 

The  parents  had  intended  to  educate  their  oldest  son  to 
follow  the  profession  of  his  father,  and  in  all  probability 
they  would  have  sent  him  to  Wittenberg  —  which  had  long 
been  the  family  university  —  had  not  the  offer  of  the 
scholarship  induced  them  to  send  him  to  Leipzig  instead. 
They  still  cherished  the  hope  that  he  would  study  theol- 
ogy ;  but  the  intellectual  independence  shown  by  the 
young  man  on  his  return  from  Meissen  caused  them 
to  leave  open  the  definite  selection  of  a  profession. 
Leipzig  was  ill  adapted  to  theology,  for  it  had  no  theolo- 
gian of  any  importance  to  attract  the  active  and  energetic 
young  Lessing,  who  could  not  but  be  disgusted  at  the 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

perfunctory  way  in  which  the  professors  delivered  their 
lectures.  The  Ufework  of  a  Lessing,  Heyne,  and  Winkel- 
manu  in  restoring  ancient  literature  and  art  to  their 
proper  places  in  modern  education  is  the  direct  result 
of  the  efforts  of  two  men,  Johann  August  Ernesti  and 
Johann  Friedrich  Christ.  Both  were  in  the  vigor  of  their 
manhood  when  Lessing  entered  the  university,  and  their 
influence  upon  him  could  not  but  be  great.  Ernesti  had 
iust  completed  his  "  Outlines  of  Education,"  in  which  he 
:aught  that  philological  studies  were  the  means  of  recog- 
nizing the  results  which  the  most  gifted  nations  of  an- 
tiquity had  achieved  in  philosophy  and  literature,  art  and 
science.  They  were  the  means  of  improving  the  taste,  of 
advancing  aesthetic  culture,  and  increasing  the  productive 
faculties.  The  power  of  "  penetrating  into  the  spirit  and 
meaning  of  the  ancient  literary  works  far  surpassed  the 
ability  to  write  the  best  Latin  style."  Under  him  Lessing 
first  saw  "  the  real  scope  and  object  of  classic  studies." 

Christ  awakened  in  him  that  interest  which  brought 
forth  the  best  fruits  of  his  philological  activity,  —  his 
"  Laokoon  "  and  other  critical  works,  which  have  proved 
so  beneficial  to  the  education  of  the  nation.  From  Christ 
he  learned  the  method  of  investigating  the  monuments  of 
art  in  the  light  of  unbroken  history.  Winkelmann,  Heyne, 
and  Lessing  are  counted  among  Christ's  followers  in  the 
field  of  ancient  art ;  but  his  influence  was  most  direct  upon 
Lessing,  whose  "Vindications  "  were  probably  suggested 
by  his  teacher's  sketches  of  Cardanus,  Hutten,  Machia- 
velli,  and  Cornelius  Agrippa.     Even  in  the  minute  details 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

of  treatment  and  style  we  find  Lessing  a  close  follower 
of  his  master.  Their  very  endowments  and  inclinations 
were  alike  ;  and  the  pupil  began  with  Horace  and  Plautus, 
whom  Christ  had  made  the  subject  of  his  lectures  while 
Lessing  was  under  him. 

Abraham  Gotthelf  Kiistner,  professor  of  mathematics, 
possessed  some  linguistic  knowledge,  and  wrote  intellec- 
tual, epigrammatic  poetry.  His  social  qualities  were  of 
a  superior  order  ;  and  the  philological  debating  club  over 
which  he  presided  drew  its  members  from  all  departments 
of  the  university,  and  united  the  best  students  of  Leipzig. 
It  was  here  that  Lessing  acquired  that  taste  for  debates 
so  characteristic  of  his  whole  life.  The  literary  activity 
was  great,  and  many  members  of  this  club  were  already 
writers,  and  became  celebrated  in  after  years.  A  number 
of  these  young  writers  founded  the  Bremen  Contribu- 
tions, —  the  two  Schlegels,  father  and  uncle  of  Wilhelm 
and  Friedrich,  Gellert,  Klopstock,  and  others. 

The  awkward  and  shy  country  youth  found  much  to 
learn  outside  of  books.  The  difference  in  the  ease  and 
grace  of  his  fellow-students  and  his  own  clumsy  manners 
was  too  noticeable,  and  he  resolved  therefore  to  take 
lessons  in  dancing,  fencing,  and  gymnastics.  He  soon 
had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  easy  and  unembarrassed 
in  his  intercourse  with  the  world.  The  theatre  attracted 
him,  and  became  a  good  schooling  for  the  future  reformer 
of  the  German  drama.  He  improved  this  excellent  op- 
portunity to  acquire  that  accurate  theatrical  knowledge 
necessary  to  every  successful  dramatist.     Frau  Neuber, 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

the  celebrated  actress  and  then  at  the  head  of  the 
Leipzig  theatre,  soon  perceived  his  dramatic  talent  and 
encouraged  it.  During  a  discussion  of  a  play  of  the 
Gottschedian  school  among  some  of  his  acquaintances,  he 
boasted  that  he  could  even  surpass  it.  The  retort  that 
it  was  easier  to  find  fault  than  to  do  better  determined 
him  to  revise  his  "  Young  Savant,"  "  which  contained  the 
germ  of  real  excellence."  Fortune  favored  him.  A 
presumptuous  student  at  Leipzig  had  just  sent  in  a  prize 
essay  to  the  Berlin  Academy,  and  boasted  of  certain  and 
easy  victory.  He  failed  to  receive  any  notice  whatever. 
Lessing  used  this  for  his  plot,  thus  enlarging  and  devel- 
oping his  earlier  performance  into  a  complete  play. 
Kiistner  approved  of  the  piece,  Frau  Neuber  accepted  it, 
and  the  public  received  it  with  applause.  Such  was  the 
beginning  of  Lessing's  career  as  a  dramatist.  The  suc- 
cess of  his  first  effort  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
young  man.  He  dreamed  of  becoming  a  great  comedian 
and  dramatist,  tlie  Moliere  of  German  literature.  He 
took  lessons  in  elocution  of  the  actor  Briickner,  and  soon 
excelled  his  teacher.  He  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the 
actors,  among  others  Koch,  whG  afterwards  became  one 
of  the  greatest  players  of  his  age.  The  stage  usurped 
the  place  of  the  university  in  his  education.  "  He  left 
science  to  develop  his  physical  and  social  nature,  though 
by  no  means  neglecting  his  scientific  research."  The 
productions  of  this  first  literary  period  prove  that  he 
spent  his  time  well  while  at  Leipzig.  If  Klopstock,  as 
has  been  said,  made  the  name  of  poet  honorable,  Lessing 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

can  with  much  more  justice  claim  to  have  made  the  name 
of  writer  honorable.  While  here  he  also  began  to  de- 
velop his  critical  judgment.  Seven  pieces  —  "The 
Young  Savant"  (1748),  "Damon;  or,  True  Friend- 
ship" (1748),  "The  Misogynist"  (1748),  "The  Old 
Maid"  (1749),  "The  Jews"  (1749),  "The  Freethinker"  ' 
(1749),  "  The  Treasure  "  (1750),  and  innumerable  frag- 
ments are  assigned  to  this  period.  Tliey  were  consid- 
ered masterpieces  by  his  contemporaries,  while  some  of 
his  Anacreontic  lyrics  were  honored  with  a  translation 
into  foreign  languages.  These  dramas  show  everywhere 
the  close  and  serious  study  he  had  given  to  Plautus  and 
Terence,  though  he  had  chosen  Moliere  as  his  model. 
The  main  interest  in  the  play  always  centres  around  one 
principal  personage,  —  a  pedant,  a  woman-hater,  a  Jew, 
etc.,  and  the  unities  are  strictly  observed ;  not  until  his 
later  studies  did  he  change  his  view  on  this  point.  There 
are  no  episodes.  The  other  personages  act  as  a  foil  to 
set  off  the  leading  traits  of  the  principal  character,  as  in 
Moliere.  Lessing,  however,  fell  far  short  of  his  great 
model.  His  spirited,  fresh  dialogue  is  due  to  Plautus 
and  the  classics  ;  but  the  prominence  given  to  servants 
(Lisette)  shows  the  influence  of  later  French  writers,  like 
De  LTsle  and  Marivaux.  His  pieces  are  full  of  action, 
and  he  strove  to  make  the  personages  talk  in  a  natural, 
free,  and  easy  tone.  Lessing  is,  however,  still  under  the 
magic  of  Gottsched's  wand.  Nevertheless,  when  com-  ' 
pared  with  those  of  Gellert,  Frau  Gottsched,  Weisse,  and 
others,  these  plays  do  their  author  great  credit. 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

Lessing's  very  success  was  to  prove  a  source  of  trouble 
to  him.  Christlob  Mylius,  seven  years  his  senior  and 
a  member  of  Kastner's  Debating  Club,  had  probably 
introduced  his  young  friend  there,  and  been  of  great  ser- 
vice in  bringing  out  the  timid  and  awkward  boy.  He  was 
himself  the  most  talented  and  important  of  the  young 
writers  of  Leipzig  at  that  time,  but  was  inconstant,  erra- 
tic, dissolute,  and  tinged  with  the  principles  of  the  free- 
thinkers. Lessing  considered  only  the  great  qualities  of 
the  man,  and  formed  a  lasting  friendship  for  him.  He 
took  part  in  his  friend's  numerous  popular  magazines, 
and  wrote  most  of  his  lyrics  for  them.  Mylius  awakened 
his  slumbering  interest  for  the  stage,  and  urged  him 
to  write  dramas.  This  intercourse  with  the  freethinker 
Mylius  and  his  own  activity  at  the  theatre  could  not 
escape  the  notice  of  his  anxious  parents.  The  same  per- 
son who  brought  Lessing  his  mother's  Christmas  cake  had 
to  report  on  his  return  that  their  dutiful  son  had  eaten  it 
with  players  and  freethinkers  in  honor  of  the  recent  suc- 
cess of  his  theatrical  piece.  Something  must  be  done. 
The  father  consented  to  a  pious  story  to  save  his  perish- 
ing son.  By  letter  he  was  summoned  home  in  haste  to 
receive  his  dying  mother's  last  blessing.  He  set  out  with- 
out overcoat  in  a  severe  storm.  The  mother  repented  too 
late,  and  scolded  him  for  venturing  upon  the  journey  in 
such  weather,  but  was  proud  to  see  that  her  son  had  not 
forgotten  his  obedience.  He  remained  three  months  at 
home  ;  and  his  father  was  well  pleased  to  find  that  his 
son  was  making  rapid  progress  with  his  classical  studies, 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

though  not  in  the  regular  order.  He  could  not  now  be- 
come a  preacher,  after  having  written  a  drama  which  had 
been  acted  on  the  stage.  It  was  therefore  decided  that 
he  should  study  medicine,  and  he  bore  the  title  of  doctor 
for  long  years.  He  also  promised  to  devote  himself  to 
the  study  of  philology,  in  order  to  secure  if  possible  a 
chair  at  some  university.  This  interruption  was  beneficial 
to  the  young  man,  as  it  gave  him  time  to  reflect,  and 
removed  him  from  the  immediate  influence  of  such  a 
brilliant  success,  which  might  have  led  him  to  become  a 
stage-player. 

At  Easter,  1748,  he  returned  to  Leipzig,  and,  though 
he  attended  the  lectures  of  Ernesti,  Christ,  and  Kastner, 
resumed  his  literary  and  dramatic  studies.  Frau  Neu- 
ber's  dramatic  troupe  soon  disbanded  ;  and  several  of  the 
players,  for  whom  Lessing  had  thoughtlessly  become 
voucher,  left  their  debts  behiiid  them  for  him  to  pay. 
Finding  this  impossible,  he  quietly  left  Leipzig  himself, 
and  matriculated  in  Wittenberg  in  August,  1748.  He  had 
really  started  for  Berlin  ^o  join  Mylius,  who  had  removed 
there,  but  he  fell  sick  while  visiting  a  cousin  at  Witten- 
berg. Evil  tongues  claim  that  this  was  only  a  cloak  to 
cover  a  visit  to  Vienna  to  see  the  actress  Lorenz,  with 
whom  he  had  fallen  in  lovo.  His  creditors  pursued  him 
here  (Wittenberg),  and  he  was  forced  to  give  up  his 
studies  and  seek  his  fortune  in  Berlin. 

It  will  hardly  be  possible  to  enter  into  the  details  of 
Lessing's  wanderings  ;  only  so  much  will  be  related  as  is 
necessary  to  a  full  understanding  of  his  life  and  works. 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

He  was  less  than  two  years  in  Leipzig  ;  but  his  intellec- 
tual development  had  been  rapid  and  sound,  and  he  had 
gathered  a  rich  store  of  knowledge  and  experience  to 
help  him  in  his  life-work.  He  had  learned  the  direction  in 
which  his  talents  lay,  and  acquired  the  necessary  confi- 
dence for  the  realization  of  his  hopes.  He  had  gained 
facility  in  writing  and  knowledge  in  journalism,  had 
broadened  and  enlarged  his  views,  and  thus  made  the 
future  great  critic  a  possibility. 

A  just  appreciation  of  Lessing  and  his  services  to  Ger- 
man literature  would  require  a  thorough  discussion  of  the 
literary  and  intellectual  progress  of  Germany  from  the 
period  of  its  renaissance  under  Martin  Opitz  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  —  too  comprehensive  an  undertaking  for  our 
purpose.  The  glory  of  Germany's  first  classic  period  had 
passed  away,  and  literature  had  sunk  into  oblivion  and 
neglect.  After  the  brilliant  minnesong  we  have  the  me- 
chanical mastersong.  Still  the  intellectual  development 
of  Germany  was  not  retrograding ;  for  there  was  great 
activity  in  the  field  of  science.  Civilization  had  reached 
one  of  those  sharp  turns  in  its  progress  which  was  to 
revolutionize  human  affairs.  The  age  of  discoveries  and 
inventions  follows.  Luther  liberated  the  world  from 
spiritual  thraldom,  the  Renaissance  led  to  the  purification 
and  improvement  of  the  German  language  and  literature. 
It  is  true  that  the  literature  entered  upon  a  long  period 
of  bondage  to  foreign  nations,  especially  to  France,  —  a 
bondage  which  produced  translations  and  imitations,  but 
no  wholesome  fruit.     We  can  only  touch  slightly  upon 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

three  stages  of  the  development  of  Germany.  The  first 
corresponds  to  the  period  of  Trissino,  Tasso,  and  Trucel- 
hii  in  Italy  ;  to  that  of  Ronsard,  Malherbe,  Marot,  and 
Jodelle  in  France  ;  to  that  of  Daniel  Heinsius,  Hooft,  and 
Vondel  in  the  Netherlands ;  and  to  that  of  Ben  Jonson 
in  England.  The  second  corresponds  to  Marini  in  Italy, 
Gongora  in  Spain,  and  Lyly  in  England.  The  third  is 
the  period  corresponding  to  that  of  French  classicism. 

First  Stage. — Martin  Opitz  (1597-1639)  justly  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  first  movement  in  Germany.  In  true 
Renaissance  style  and  in  imitation  of  Ronsard  and 
Heinsius,  he  remodelled  the  art  of  poetry  of  J.  C. 
Scaliger  (1561),  which  had  become  the  law  of  the  poetic 
world  of  Italy,  France,  and  the  Netherlands.  But 
Scaliger' s  book  is  only  a  commentary  on  the  poetics  of 
Aristotle.  Opitz  did  no  more  than  collect  what  others 
had  mined  for  him.  His  merit  lies  not  so  much  in 
original  thoughts  and  feelings  as  in  masterly  form.  He 
restored  the  natural  rhythmic  flow  to  German  verse, 
developed  an  easy  and  graceful  language,  and  recovered 
the  lost  euphonic  measures  of  earlier  times.  But  there 
was  a  wonderful  lack  of  feeling  in  his  poetry ;  and  the 
little  left  was  there  by  accident,  and  not  in  the  heart  of 
poet  or  reader.  He  was  seconded  by  Paul  Flemming 
(1609-40),  who  had  all  the  excellencies  of  his  period, 
with  few  of  its  blemishes,  and  might  have  become  a 
great  poet  if  he  had  been  spared.  Andreas  Gryphius 
(1616-64),  the  third  of  this  period,  reflected  only  too 
well   the   spirit   of   his    age   in    his   dramas.      Beautiful 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

phrases,  glittering  generalities,  are  plentiful  in  all  the 
writers  of  the  time,  and  they  presently  sink  into  triviality 
and  insipid  expressions.  It  is  the  so-called  first  Silesian 
school,  and  the  age  of  societies.  A  hundred  years  after 
Luther,  and  a  year  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  a  number  of  men  joined  in  forming  a  society 
which  they  called  the  "Fruit-bearing."  Other  societies 
soon  started  up  in  various  parts  of  Germany.  They 
found  their  models  in  Italy  and  its  academies,  especially 
the  Academia  della  Crusca.  The  movement  started 
chiefly  among  the  nobility  and  princes,  and  deserves  a 
prominent  place  in  the  history  of  the  effort  made  to  ele- 
vate the  national  language  and  literature. 

Second  Stage.  —  Tlie  second  Silesian  school  is  closely 
allied  to  the  first.  Andreas  Gryphius  forms  the  transi- 
tion from  the  first  to  the  second.  As  form  and  expres- 
sion were  the  watchwords  of  the  first,  so  "  cultorism  " 
became  the  battle-cry  of  the  second.  Italy  again  leads 
in  Marini  and  "  Marinism."  Spain  follows  with  Gongora 
and  "  Gongorism."  The  "  Beaux  Esprits,  Precieuses  de 
I'Hotel  de  Rambouillet,"  Balzac,  Mile.  Scudery,  represent 
this  movement  in  France ;  and  Lyly  spread  it  through- 
out England  in  his  Euphues  and  "  euphuism."  This 
euphuistic  style  has  been  well  defined  as  the  abuse  of 
the  adjective.  Scherer  calls  it  the  cradle  of  modern 
gallantry  and  politeness  of  form,  and  not  of  heart. 
"It  is  international."  In  Germany  it  was  represented 
by  Hofmannswaldau  (1618-79)  and  Lohenstein  (1635- 
83).      The  former  carried  the  sentimental  tendency  to 


32  INTRODUCTION. 

frivolity,  and  the  latter  made  tragedy  odious.  '^  The 
former  belonged  to  Ovid's  school,  and  the  latter,  to 
Seneca's." 

Third  Stage.  —  Under  the  influence  of  French  classi- 
cism a  reaction  set  in.  The  political  events  of  the  tune 
explain  in  a  great  measure  this  predominant  influence  of 
the  French.  The  Thirty  Years'  War  had  laid  its  blight- 
ing hand  upon  Germany,  and  almost  all  spiritual  and 
intellectual  life  had  been  destroyed.  Vigorous  literary 
activity  and  judicious  criticism  did  not  appear  till  the  sec- 
ond decade  of  the  preceding  century.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  German  princes  aped  the  French  court,  spoke  its 
language,  read  its  books,  and  considered  it  a  disgrace  to 
speak  German  or  read  the  native  literature,  —  that  was 
for  the  vulgar.  Foreign  imitations  reawakened  the  slum- 
bering enthusiasm  for  the  classics,  and  led  to  the  study 
of  Horace  as  reflected  by  the  French  Boileau,  the  English 
Pope,  Addison,  and  Samuel  Johnson,  who  were  them- 
selves pupils  of  French  classicism.  The  religious  hymns 
of  a  Gerhardt,  a  Tersteegen,  the  popular  lyrics  of  a 
Giinther,  Brokes,  Haller,  Kleist,  Hagedorn,  the  Halle 
poets,  show  that  a  better  period  had  at  last  dawned  and 
foreshadow  the  great  classic  period  in  German  literature. 
France,  England,  and  the  Netherlands  serve  as  models. 
There  was  a  growing  national  feeling  in  Germany,  such 
as  had  long  prevailed  in  France  under  Louis  XIV  and 
Louis  XV.  France  had  long  been  united  and  great,  and 
gloried  in  great  and  heroic  deeds.  She  had  a  capital  and 
a  national  theatre,  a  public  opinion,  and  all  those  social 


INTRODUCTION.  33 

accessories  which  serve  as  aids  iu  arousing  criticism, 
sharpening  wit,  and  eliciting  satire,  all  of  which  are  so 
coudacive  to  comedy  and  tragedy.  Germany  on  the 
other  hand  was  just  emerging  from  a  desolating  war,  was 
rent  with  internal  dissensions  and  petty  jealousies  ;  she 
was  without  a  theatre  or  public  opinion,  without  an  ap- 
preciative audience ;  her  poets  wrote  in  their  studies 
without  sympathy  with  the  public  and  with  little  knowl- 
edge of  the  stage.  For  this  reason  French  models 
helped  Germany  to  form  a  style  and  to  become  original. 
Germany  had  not  yet  produced  a  great  writer  who  could 
command  the  respectful  attention  of  Europe.  The  lan- 
guage was  still  uncultivated,  and  lacked  ease,  fluency, 
and  elegance.  France  was  the  best  school  for  improve- 
ment in  those  very  essentials  m  which  Germany  was 
deficient ;  she  could  here  improve  her  taste,  form  a  better 
style,  and  acquire  a  more  graceful  expression.  But  the 
imitation  had  been  too  servile  ;  only  a  weak  copy  of  the 
French  theatre  had  been  produced. 

The  Freiherr  von  Canitz  (1654-99),  called  the  Ger- 
man Pope  by  Frederick  II.,  best  represents  the  early 
part  of  this  movement  in  Germany.  He  was  by  no 
means  a  servile  imitator,  but  recognized  the  excellent 
models  of  the  French,  and  strove  to  reproduce  in  Ger- 
many what  they  had  created  in  France.  Johann  Chris- 
toph  Gottsched  (1700-G6),  Professor  of  Logic  and  Meta- 
physics at  Leipzig,  followed  in  his  footsteps,  and  created 
a  new  epoch  in  German  literature.  He  broke  with  the 
prevailing  forms  of  the  popular  stage,  and  founded  an  art- 


34  INTRODUCTION. 

drama.  He  awakened  the  theoretical  and  critical  spirit 
in  literature,  poetry,  and  the  drama,  though  in  a  narrow 
way.  He  took  up  the  work  of  Opitz,  and  aimed  at  noth- 
ing less  than  the  example  of  the  Florentine  and  Parisian 
Academies  for  Germany.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  a 
national  German  literature,  and  bent  all  his  energies  to 
its  realization.  He  began  with  the  imitation  of  the  Eng- 
lish weeklies  and  the  recommendation  of  French  classic 
plays.  However  great  an  admirer  of  the  French  intel- 
lect and  the  French  poetry,  it  was  his  object  to  develop 
an  independent  literature  for  the  German  nation.  He 
strove  earnestly  for  the  purification,  development,  and 
ennobling  of  the  German  language,  and  was  the  champion 
of  the  peculiarly  German  poetry.  But  he  overestimated 
the  strength  of  the  Germans,  and  underestimated  the  diffi- 
culties to  be  overcome.  A  further  mistake  was  in  thinking 
his  object  attainable  only  through  French  models  and  by 
giving  his  whole  attention  to  the  drama,  especially  to 
tragedy.  He  was  a  man  of  indisputable  merit,  especially 
from  his  labors  to  advance  the  improvement  of  taste.  His 
activity  was  his  strong  point.  His  Art  of  Poetry  and  his 
Rhetoric  are  the  beginnings  of  Germany's  theoretical  ideas 
of  art ;  all  aesthetic  investigation  up  to  Lessing's  time  rests 
upon  it.  In  poetry  he  was  later  than  the  Swiss,  but  sur- 
passed them.  Horace  and  Boileau  were  to  him  what  Scali- 
ger  and  Ron  sard  had  been  to  Opitz.  His  influence  for  a 
long  time  was  immense,  and  he  did  more  than  any  other 
man  to  promote  French  influence  and  introduce  French 
culture.    His  popularity  extends  from  1730  to  about  1745. 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

The  Swiss  school  also  contributed  to  the  reawakening 
of  Germany.     Johann  Jakob  Bodmer  (1698-1783)   and 
Johaun  Jakob  Breitinger   (1701-66)   were  the  principal 
w^riters,   and  long  worked   in   harmony  with  Gottsched. 
Their  popularity  extends  from  1721  to  1780;  and  their 
influence  was  not  less  significant  in  shaping  the  character 
of  the  great  classic  period  than  that  of  the  Leipzig  pro- 
fessor.    They,  however,  considered  poetry  an  art ;  while 
Gottsched  made  it  a  mere  matter  of  the  understanding, 
and  wished  to   eliminate  the  imagination    as   something 
purely  arbitrary.     The  Swiss  contended  for  imagination 
while  admitting  the  participation  of  the   understanding. 
Both  agreed  that  poetry  should  please,  instruct,  and  im- 
prove ;  the  Swiss  laid  stress  on  the  first,  and  Gottsched 
on  the  last.     Gottsched  desired  only  to   stimulate  and 
develop  poetry ;  the  Swiss  sought  after  its  very  nature. 
Both  favored  rules,  but  the  two  ideas  were  incompatible  ; 
hence  the  conflict  which  divided  Germany  into  two  hostile 
camps.      Their   difference   was   one   of    theory,    not   of 
works.     Both  imitated  the  French   and  English,  though 
Gottsched  sought  his    models   rather  with   the   French ; 
while  the  Swiss  went  to  England,  —  not  to  Shakespeare 
and  his  contemporaries,  however,  but  to  Milton,  Addi- 
son, Steele,  Pope,  Thomson,  Young,  etc.,  who  were  them- 
selves somewhat  under  the  influence  of  France.      Both 
sides  lacked  poetic  talent,  poetic  force,  and  the  true  poetic 
spirit  which  leads  to  remarkable  productions.     In  an  age 
of  criticism  the  Swiss  were  nevertheless  freer  from  this 
fault  than  the  rest  of  Germany.     They  let  production 


36  INTRODUCTION. 

rule  to  a  certain  extent,  and  had  a  faint  idea  that  the 
creative  spirit  must  be  left  untrammelled,  that  "culture 
must  pervade,  not  limit  it." 

The  Halle  school  and  the  Bremen  Contributions  are  as 
important  as  the  Swiss  in  the  conflict  of  ideas.  They 
alone  enjoyed  real  freedom.  Popular  discussions  had 
educated  the  people,  and  a  national  literature  was  now 
possible.  Klopstock's  Messiah  realized  the  idea  of  the 
Swiss  and  at  the  same  time  undermined  Gottsched's 
position ;  hence  the  comparative  ease  of  the  Swiss  vic- 
tory. Klopstock  was  the  poet  of  sentimentality  ;  he  was 
not  ideal,  imaginative,  like  the  Swiss,  nor  a  formalist  or 
conventionalist,  like  Gottsched,  but  gave  full  and  free 
expression  to  his  feelings. 

A  short  review  of  the  early  drama  and  state  of  the  thea- 
tre at  this  time  will  set  the  situation  in  clearer  relief. 

The  modern  drama  is  a  development  of  the  medie- 
val (church)  drama,  though  influenced  by  classic  forms. 
The  rich,  figurative  pieces  of  the  church  drama  and  the 
English  influence  are  perceptible  in  its  development  on 
German  soil.  The  popular  Swiss  comedy,  with  its  politi- 
cal, satirical,  and  polemical  tendencies,  with  its  hostility 
to  popery  and  its  interest  in  the  daily  life  of  the  people, 
contrasted  sharply  with  this  church  drama,  and  moulded 
its  own  character  into  the  national  drama.  From  the 
Netherlands  came  a  similar  influence,  felt  throughout  Ger- 
many. A  few  great  lights  will  show  the  general  course 
of  dramatic  development.  Hans  Sachs  (1494-1576)  was 
the   greatest  dramatist  that   had   appeared  in   Germany 


INTRODUCTION.  37 

for  a  century  and  a  half,  and  will  bear  favorable  com- 
parison with  the  dramatists  of  other  nations.  But  while 
Spain,  France,  and  England  advanced  to  a  flourishing 
drama,  Germany  remained  inactive  or  retrograded  after 
the  death  of  Hans  Sachs.  Jacob  Ayrer  (about  1560- 
1605)  was  his  follower.  "  In  Ayrer's  time  the  dramatic 
spirit  in  England  was  strong,  and  good  plays  and  players 
abounded.  Some  of  the  latter  took  circuits  through  Ger- 
many, and  though  performing  in  their  native  tongue, 
excited  enthusiasm  by  their  vivacity.  Ayrer  caught  this 
enthusiasm,  and  adapted  several  of  the  English  dramas  to 
the  German  stage."  (Encycl.  Brit.  iii.  143.)  The  stage 
fool,  against  whom  Gottsched  protested,  is  due  to  Ayrer 
and  his  English  sympathies.  Besides  this,  much  of  the 
material  of  the  dramas  was  borrowed  from  England, 
though  English  influence  is  most  felt  in  the  lighter 
pieces  and  burlesques,  farces,  etc.  This  knowledge  of 
the  English  pieces  came  only  from  the  wandering  com- 
edians ;  the  written  pieces  were  unknown  in  Germany. 
The  Italian  influence  was  earlier,  but  weaker ;  and  the 
French  influence  also  began  early  to  exert  itself. 

The  influence  upon  the  German  drama  of  these  differ- 
ent nations  (Italy,  France,  England)  in  their  more  ad- 
vanced stage  is  best  understood  when  we  consider  the 
low  condition  of  the  German  stage  at  the  beginning  of 
our  period ;  for  it  had  hardly  laid  aside  its  swaddling 
clothes.  However,  we  must  neither  overestimate  nor 
underestimate  the  services  of  this  foreign  influence  ;  for 
before  and  at  this  very  time  Germany  had  her  own  native 


38  INTRODUCTION. 

resources,  though  influenced  indeed  by  foreign  nations. 
Through  the  adaptations  of  these  foreign  pieces  the  at- 
tempt was  made  to  found  a  national  drama.  These  imi- 
tations improved  the  taste  and  guided  the  development 
of  the  German  stage  for  a  half  century.  Of  these  three 
foreign  influences  the  French  seemed  about  to  carry  the 
day  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  English  withdrew  ; 
the  Italian  confined  itself  to  the  opera ;  the  French  be- 
came constantly  stronger,  either  in  direct  translations  or 
imitations.  The  influence  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.  was 
powerful ;  and  French  plays  and  players  could  be  found 
at  every  court. 

The  condition  of  the  German  theatre  at  the  beginning 
of  this  period  was  not  very  encouraging.  There  was  not 
yet  any  regular  theatre,  —  only  itinerant  players,  who 
played  in  the  most  important  cities  on  grand  occasions. 
These  theatrical  troupes  played  pieces  only  intended  to 
amuse  the  vulgar,  and  offered  nothing  to  the  higher  classes. 
The  courts  favored  the  French  comedy  and  the  Italian 
opera.  Germany  had  no  high  ideal ;  the  pieces  were  only 
patchwork  filled  with  coarse  jokes  and  farcical  scenes. 
The  contrast  between  the  pieces  produced  in  Germany 
and  those  of  other  nations  led  Gottsched  to  study  the 
dramatic  literature  of  France,  the  works  of  Corneille, 
Racine,  La  Motte,  Moliere,  Voltaire,  especially  the 
dramatic  writings  of  Aristotle,  Casaubon,  Heincius, 
Aubignac,  Evremont,  the  Greek  theatre  of  the  abbot 
Brumois,  and  the  Italian  theatre  of  Riccoboni.  He  now 
ventured  a  reform,   brought   player  and   poet  together, 


INTRODUCTION.  39 

encouraged  translations,  adaptations,  and  imitations  of 
tlie  French  masterpieces.  The  court  poet  at  Dresden, 
Kdnig,  joined  the  reform  movement.  However  his  artistic 
tendency  differed  from  that  of  Gottsched,  both  agreed  that 
the  only  way  to  purify  the  German  taste  was  through  the 
French, — the  pattern  for  the  development  of  German 
literature  and  poetry.  The  result  corresponded  to  the 
efforts  of  Gottsched.  His  papers,  correspondence,  and 
writings  all  contributed  to  the  same  end.  He  even  com- 
posed his  "  Dying  Cato  "  to  help  on  the  movement ;  and 
the  hitherto  unheard-of  success  of  the  piece  shows  that 
he  was  superior  to  his  contemporaries,  though  read  at 
present  it  seems  a  failure.  His  wife,  Louise  Adelgunde 
Victoria,  7iee  Kulmus  (1713-62),  ably  supported  him 
by  her  translations  and  adaptations.  The  Neubers, 
husband  and  wife,  who  were  then  at  the  head  of  a 
troupe  playing  in  Saxony,  lent  him  willing  assist^fnce 
in  his  theatrical  reform.  Had  they  not  aided  Gott- 
sched in  bringing  his  pieces  on  the  stage  and  carrying 
out  his  reformatory  ideas,  his  success  would  have  been 
small.  This  was  their  great  service.  They  then  had  the 
best  players  in  Germany  in  their  troupe,  and  served 
Gottsched  faithfully  till  1740.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
Frau  Neuber  was  helpful  to  Lessing  when  he  first  at- 
tempted the  drama. 

It  is  one  of  Gottsched's  services  to  the  German  drama 
that  he  helped  develop  the  German  comedy,  not  even  ex- 
cluding the  new  sentimental  tendency  then  appearing. 
Destouches,  Marivaux.  La  Chaussee,  and  the  GrafFjgnys 


40  INTRODUCTION. 

were  adapted  and  imitated, — mostly  by  Madame  Gott- 
sched.  Thus  tlie  first  incitement  to  the  seutimentaJ 
drama  proceeded  from  him.  By  his  efforts  the  German 
stage  had  been  purified,  elevated,  and  renovated  ;  it  was 
a  new  theatre.  Naturally  he  had  awakened  a  strong  op- 
position, the  strength  of  which  consisted  in  a  profound 
intellectual  movement,  partly  conscious,  but  in  a  measure 
springing  from  party  spirit,  and  the  thought  that  Gott- 
sched's  time  was  over,  —  that  something  newer  and 
better  must  take  the  place  of  his  obsolete  and  trite  views. 
In  many  respects  this  quiet  opposition  had  a  larger  in- 
fluence than  the  stormy  one  of  the  Swiss.  The  three 
Schlegels,  Johann  Elias,  Johann  Adolph,  and  Johann 
Heinrich,  were  at  first  adherents  of  Gottsched,  but  they 
soon  joined  the  quiet  opposition.  Johann  Elias  had 
always  shown  a  certain  independence  of  conception  and 
judgment,  which  grew  with  years  and  raised  him  above 
his  master,  making  him  in  a  certain  sense  Lessing's  pre- 
decessor. He  at  least  represents  in  his  aesthetic  and 
dramatic  writings  the  transition  from  the  Gottschedian 
literary  period  to  the  reforms  of  Lessing,  and  was  nearer 
Lessing  than  the  most  advanced  Swiss.  Schlegel  had  a 
better  idea  of  Shakespeare  than  Gottsched,  though  he  did 
not  understand  the  great  dramatist.  From  Shakespeare 
and  the  Danish  Holberg  he  drew  inspiration,  and  prom- 
ised fair  to  become  a  real  light,  when  death  cut  short  his 
career. 

Another  writer,  C.  F.  Gellert  (1715-G9),  shows  that 
the  public  was  drifting  away  from  Gottsched.     He  seems 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

to  have  succeeded  Gottsclied,  and  usurped  the  great  in- 
fluence the  latter  once  exerted,  though  his  real  worth  was 
only  in  his  choice  of  material  from  among  the  middle 
classes,  and  in  imparting  their  feelings  and  thoughts  to 
tlie  characters.  He  added  to  the  sentimental  tendenc}', 
w^as  stiff  and  declamatory.  F.  Weisse,  Mylius,  and 
others  joined  the  quiet  opposition,  though  still  under 
Gottsched's  influence.  They  favored  English  writers  like 
Addison,  Thomson,  Young.  Lessing  himself,  though 
he  fought  Gottsched,  only  enlarged  the  building  Gott- 
sched  had  laboriously  erected,  brought  free  light  and 
air  to  it,  but  did  not  shake  its  main  pillars.  Johann 
Elias  Schlegel  certainly  represents  the  first  stage  on  this 
road  of  liberation,  but  he  stood  on  Gottsched's  shoulders, 
a3  Lessing  and  the  later  dramatists  stand  on  them. 
Yet  Lessing  was  the  founder  of  the  German  national 
drama  and  theatre.  Gottsched  was  at  first  his  guide  in 
poetry,  as  he  was  the  great  guide  of  all  young  writers  of 
the  period ;  but  Lessing  early  turned  to  the  Halle  poets. 
At  Leipzig  he  was  intimate  with  Johann  Heinrich  Schle- 
gel, w^hose  acquaintance  he  is  said  to  have  made  at 
school.  His  intercourse  with  Mylius  early  led  him  to  a 
literary  life,  and  his  friendship  with  Weisse  to  dramatic 
works.  He  seems  to  have  avoided  the  Gottschedian 
circle,  though  his  earliest  theatrical  attempts  evidently 
bear  the  Gottschedian  impress. 

In  Frederick  the  Great  Germany  seems  to  have  found 
just  what  she  had  missed  in  her  whole  literary  career,  — 
a  national  head,  a  national  spirit,  and  a  national  capital. 


42  INTRODUCTION. 

He  liberated  Germany  from  foreign  thraldom,  "  restored 
the  Academy  of  Sciences,  enriched  Berlin  with  works  of 
art,  patronized  to  some  extent  the  opera  and  the  French 
plays,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  school  system 
which  has  since  given  Prussia  its  high  rank  among  the 
educated  nations  of  the  world.  .  .  .  The  direction  he 
sought  to  give  to  literary  sympathies  was  wholly  French." 
(Sime,  i.  65.)  His  education  and  training  had  been 
thoroughly  French,  and  yet  his  character,  the  man,  was 
wholly  German.  He  became,  in  spite  of  himself,  the 
mightiest  and  most  persevering  promoter  of  the  intel- 
lectual progress  of  Germany.  He  did  not  consider  the 
German  a  cultivated  language ;  he  called  its  tragedy  an 
irregular  hodgepodge,  full  of  bombast  and  low  comedy ; 
he  styled  the  still  more  deplorable  comedy  a  coarse  farce, 
which  violated  good  taste  and  decency  :  and  yet  he  gave 
the  nation  a  consistency  and  character  which  tended  more 
than  all  else  to  promote  its  literary  growth.  He  recog- 
nized in  Canitz  a  good,  elegant,  correct  poet,  the  German 
Pope.  His  age  is  the  great  age  of  modern  Germany. 
But  Germany  was  still  behind  England  and  France.  ''  A 
Bolingbroke  and  a  Shaftesbury  were  men  of  the  large 
world.  Addison  was  a  poet,  moralist,  and  politician. 
Voltaire  and  Diderot  moved  in  the  social  clubs.  ...  In 
Germany  the  poets  of  the  day  were,  with  few  exceptions, 
book-savants,  professors,  clergymen,  teachers,  officials  in 
subordinate  positions,  or  unfledged  students ;  they  had 
no  knowledge  of  real  life."  (Biedermann,  iii.  231.)  The 
literature  of  this  period  misses  the  active  contact  of  real 


INTRODUCTION.  43 

life.  The  lack  of  a  national  capital  to  give  tone  to  litera- 
ture is  also  felt.  Lessing  saw  this,  and  tried  in  his  criti- 
cisms and  plays  to  remedy  it.  In  Greece  and  most 
modern  literatures  criticism  followed  the  masterpieces  ;  in 
Germany  they  began  with  criticism,  and  wrote  the  mas- 
terpieces afterwards.  They  began  with  imitations,  and 
could  only  arrive  at  originality  through  criticism.  "  If 
literary  criticism  has  taken  its  place  as  a  recognized 
branch  of  literary  art,  — the  humblest  of  all,  perhaps,  be- 
cause the  least  creative,  but  probably  equal  to  any  as  an 
educative  force, — the  fact  is  I  think  mainly  due  to  the 
labors  of  Lessing  and  of  Sainte-Beuve."  (Mod.  Lang. 
Notes,  May,  1889,  Col.  294.     Melville  B.  Anderson.) 

We  left  Lessing  on  his  way  to  Berlin  in  1749.  Prob- 
ably his  friend  Mylius  had  promised  to  assist  him  in 
finding  something  to  do  in  the  field  of  letters.  The  two 
cousins  lived  in  a  wretched  house  in  Spandau  Street, 
where  they  managed  to  eke  out  a  miserable  existence  by 
such  temporar}^  employment  as  they  were  able  to  obtain. 
Lessing  soon  found  humble  employment  in  arranging 
the  library  of  Mr.  Rudiger,  proprietor  of  the  newspaper 
which  later  became  "  Die  Vossische  Zeitung."  This  in- 
terruption of  his  studies  and  the  uncertainty  of  his  future 
were  painful  to  his  parents,  and  it  was  not  until  long 
afterwards  that  they  were  entirely  reconciled  to  his 
chosen  profession. 

We  can  only  glance  at  his  literary  ventures  during  his 
various  sojourns  in  Berlin,  though  they  contain  the  his- 
tory of  the  development  of  the  future  great  critic   and 


44  INTRODUCTION. 

dramatist.  We  can  give  mere  results.  H^s  first  venture, 
a  quarterly  called  "  Contributions  to  the  History  and  Im- 
provement of  the  Theatre,"  was  short-lived,  as  only  four 
numbers  appeared.  It  is  a  product  of  the  Gottschedian 
reform,  and  shows  the  young  man  struggling  to  free  him- 
self from  Gottsched.  In  "  The  Latest  from  the  Realm 
of  Wit,"  which  he  soon  after  started,  we  can  see  that  he 
has  reached  a  higher  level  than  either  Gottsched  or  the 
Swiss.  His  criticism  of  Klopstock's  "Messiah"  at- 
tracted attention,  and  made  the  young  critic  famous. 
Gottsched  and  his   school  suffered  most. 

But  Lessing  still  felt  that  he  must  continue  his  uni- 
versity studies,  if  he  ever  expected  to  secure  a  higher 
position  in  life.  Therefore  he  left  Berlin,  and  spent 
the  year  1751-52  in  Wittenberg,  devoting  himself  to  the 
study  of  theology  and  philosophy  and  reading  the  clas- 
sics. His  criticism  of  Pastor  Lange's  translation  of 
Horace  was  written  here,  and  is  a  masterpiece.  Here 
he  gathered  material  for  future  use  on  his  return  to  Ber- 
lin in  1752.  He  was  now  twenty-four  years  old,  had  a 
definite  idea  of  his  future  career,  and  had  developed  to 
the  fall-grown  man.  To  his  former  friends  he  soon  added 
others.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Monday  and  Friday 
clubs,  of  which  he  was  almost  as  fond  as  Doctor  Johnson. 
Mylius  was  still  there  ;  but  he  soon  left  Germany  on  his 
scientific  expedition,  to  die  in  London.-  The  friends  who 
had  most  influence  on  Lessing' s  later  life  were  Frederick 
Nicolai  and  Moses  Mendelssohn,  —  the  first  the  publisher 
and  writer,  the  second  the  Jewish  philosopher.      These 


INTRODUCTION.  45 

three  men  became  the  warmest  friends  ;  "  and  the  com- 
mon interest  which  they  took  in  English  literature  —  with 
which  Mendelssohn  was  still  better  acquainted  than  his 
two  friends  —  cemented  the  literary  intercourse  and  per- 
sonal friendship  between  these  striving  and  learned  young 
writers."  (Buchheim,  xxvii.)  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
Lessing  rose  to  a  far  higher  level  than  they ;  so  that  in 
later  years  their  courses  seemed  far  apart.  They  remained 
where  he  left  them,  while  he  was  constantly  advancing. 
He  was  their  teacher,  though  their  intercourse  was  very  in- 
vigorating for  him.  Mendelssohn  used  to  visit  him  every 
morning  from  seven  to  nine,  and  discuss  philosophical 
and  literary  themes ;  while  Nicolai's  literary  ventures 
were  of  deep  interest  to  him.  With  the  first  he  wrote 
"  Pope,  a  Metaphysician,"  and  with  the  latter  he  vied  in 
literary  criticism  on  the  productions  of  his  day.  The 
next  three  years  were  important  ones  in  his  intellectual 
development.  During  that  time  he  gained  a  permanent 
place  as  critic  and  writer  of  merit.  He  resorted  to  trans- 
lations again,  work  in  which  he  succeeded  much  better 
than  any  one  who  had  hitherto  attempted  it.  His  posi- 
tion on  the  "  Vossische  Zeitung  "  was  given  back  to  him. 
An  edition  of  his  works  in  six  volumes  now  appeared, 
containing  his  one  piece  "  The  Young  Savant,"  poems, 
odes,  fables,  epigrams,  vindications,  etc.  He  edited  the 
literary  remains  of  his  late  friend  Mylius,  and  wrote  a 
critical  introduction.  He  now  returned  to  the  drama,  and 
resumed,  as  the  best  means  of  promoting  it,  the  quarterly 
periodical  which  had  turned  out  so  unfavorably  during 


46  INTRODUCTION. 

his  first  residence  in  Berlin,  taking  care,  however,  to 
change  its  name  to  "  The  Theatrical  Library."  Nothing 
of  importance  for  us  appeared  in  the  four  numbers  (two 
in  1754,  one  in  1755,  and  one  in  1758).  He  read  the 
principal  French  authors,  Gellert  and  other  Germans,  and 
studied  the  real  stage.  He  soon  surpassed  his  country- 
men in  the  liveliness  of  his  dialogues,  made  translations 
and  adaptations,  wrote  farces  and  earnest  didactic  scenes, 
experimented  with  Plautus,  with  types  of  the  English, 
then  with  G-oldoni,  and  studied  the  drama  theoretically. 
For  his  thorough  study  of  Aristotle,  compare  Danzel,  i. 
356,  357.  He  longed  to  become  the  German  Moliere, 
but  did  not  trust  his  own  powers.  Still  he  believed  him- 
self able  to  accomplish  more  than  others  had  done,  and 
was  willing  to  devote  his  time  and  patience  to  the  work. 
Plautus  and  Terence  had  ever  been  his  favorites,  and 
he  confesses  that  he  transformed  every  thought  into  a 
comedy. 

During  Lessing's  first  sojourn  in  Berlin  he  met  Voltaire, 
and  admired  him  as  the  great  man  of  the  age.  He  was 
probably  Lessing's  guide  to  Shakespeare  and  the  English 
comedy.  Voltaire's  "  Lettres  sur  les  Anglais  "  ("  Lettres 
Philosophiques  ")  had  been  reviewed  in  the  fourth  number 
of  the  quarterly,  and  those  bearing  on  English  literature 
were  carefully  studied.  His  intercourse  with  Voltaire, 
while  it  incited  him  to  emulation,  was  stimulating,  and  en- 
larged and  broadened  his  views  of  life.  The  intellectual, 
tolerant,  and  critical  "  Siecle  de  Louis  XIV."  charmed 
him.     The  "  Essai  sur  les  Moeurs  "  gave  him  many  hints 


INTRODUCTION.  47 

in  the  portrayal  of  his  excellent  character  of  Saladhi. 
However,  the  influence  of  Denis  Diderot  (1713-84),  the 
encyclopaedist  and  philosopher,  was  far  greater.  "He 
meditated  upon  and  translated  the  dramatic  essays  of 
Diderot,  who  in  his  opinion  stood  next  to  Aristotle.  He 
now  threw  off  the  last  remnant  of  French  classicism." 
(Hettner,  512.)  The  results  of  his  varied  studies  are 
found  in  "  The  Theatrical  Library"  and  in  "  Miss  Sara 
Sampson."  "  But  neither  the  weeping  comedy  of  the 
French  nor  the  moralizing  tragedy  of  George  Lillo  "  con- 
tains the  real  idea  of  the  comedy  of  the  middle  class.  Les- 
sing  rose  superior  to  these,  and  attained  to  the  nearly 
perfect  comedy  in  his  "  Minna  von  Barnhelm."  The  age 
of  Voltaire,  Montesquieu,  Diderot,  Rousseau,  has  been 
called  the  post- Augustan  age  of  French  literature.  Their 
influence  on  German  literature,  especially  on  Lessing,  can- 
not be  overlooked.  "  Miss  Sara  Sampson  "  was  written 
at  Potsdam  in  1755.  He  borrowed  the  materials  of  his 
play  from  the  English,  and  used  one  or  two  hints  of 
French  remodellers.  The  principal  motive  of  the  piece 
belongs  exclusively  to  Lessing,  and  is  adapted  to  the  life 
he  saw  around  him.  It  was,  however,  too  much  in  the 
style  of  the  French,  and  too  far  from  nature.  Still  it 
denotes  a  turning-point  in  the  poet's  life.  He  is  breaking 
from  French  influence,  and  begins  to  see  the  true  essence 
of  the  drama.  He  still  needs  the  support  of  the  English, 
as  all  Germany  did  at  the  time,  though  he  surpasses  his 
English  predecessors  with  the  surety  and  ease  of  a  true 
genius.     The  significance  of  this  tragedy  lies  in  the  fact 


48  INTRODUCTION. 

that  it  is  the  first  drama  of  the  Germans  taken  from 
actual  life,  and  represented  a  contiict  developed  from 
strong,  violent  feelings.  It  displayed  a  great  and  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  human  soul,  of  the  human  heart, 
with  a  force  never  yet  seen  on  the  German  stage.  It 
surpassed  all  the  German  dramatic  works  hitherto  pub- 
lished, Lessing's  included.  And  since  by  these  advan- 
tages it  at  the  same  time  presented  new  and  fruitful  tasks 
for  theatrical  art,  and  opened  quite  new  effects  for  it, 
since  it  found  instructive  interpreters  in  the  more  natural 
and  animated  players  of  the  age,  the  impression  it  made 
was  really  epoch-making.  For  the  first  time  the  natural 
language  of  genuine  passion  was  heard  on  the  German 
stage,  though  mostly  through  the  medium  of  the  under- 
standing. It  reacted  on  France  through  the  ''  Journal 
Etranger,"  started  by  Melchior  Grimm,  who  had  the 
work  reviewed  by  Diderot.  Its  effect  was  unprecedented. 
(Prolsz,  iii.  398.) 

This  deserved  success  aroused  in  him  the  desire  to 
continue  his  studies  and  to  write  something  better. 
With  this  intent  he  again  left  Berlin  in  the  autumn  of 
1755,  and  returned  to  Leipzig,  where  there  was  a  better 
theatre.  An  excellent  opportunity  of  travelling  with  a 
young  man  named  Winckler  was  frustrated  by  Frederick's 
invasion  of  Saxony,  though  the  two  travellers  visited 
Hamburg  and  passed  into  Holland,  returning  thence  to 
Leipzig.  His  most  ardent  hopes  of  seeing  the  world  — 
especially  England,  which  he  earnestly  longed  to  visit  on 
account  of  its  rich  literature  and  excellent  drama  —  had 


INTRODUCTION.  49 

been  disappointed,  and  he  was  forced  to  return  to  his 
literary  work.  He  now  made,  or  renewed  the  friendship 
of  Major  E.  C.  von  Kleist,  which  proved  a  oonsolation  to 
both  ;  for  it  became  very  intimate  and  mutually  beneficial. 
Lessing's  Berlin  friends  (Gleim,  Sulzer,  and  others)  were 
not  idle,  but  exerted  themselves  in  every  way  to  secure 
him  a  position  in  Prussia,  but  in  vain. 

Although  few  works  appeared  at  this  time,  it  was,  how- 
ever, a  very  productive  period  for  Lessing.  Here  he  laid 
the  foundation  of  his  later  ''Dramaturgy"  and  began 
his  "  Emilia  Galotti."  He  continued  his  studies  of  the 
drama,  —  its  principles,  its  theory ;  he  studied  Aristotle 
thoroughly,  as  we  see  in  his  letters  to  Mendelssohn  and 
Nicolai.  This  lively  correspondence  with  the  Berlin 
friends  could  have  but  one  result ;  namely,  to  cause  him 
to  return  to  Berlin.  In  May,  1758,  he  returned  for  the 
third  time  to  the  Prussian  capital  to  take  up  the  battle  of 
life  again  on  the  same  old  field.  Conjointly  with  Ram- 
ler,  he  began  his  labors  with  an  edition  of  Friedrich 
Freiherr  von  Logau  (epigrammatist,  1605-55)  and  en- 
tered upon  the  study  of  the  older  German  literature. 
This  led  him  to  a  thorough  study  of  the  epigram,  both  as 
critic  and  writer.  The  three  friends  —  Nicolai,  Mendels- 
sohn, and  Lessing  —  did  not  wish  to  forego  the  pleasure 
and  benefit  of  a  literary  enterprise,  but  saw  no  way  of 
maintaining  a  regular  magazine.  One  day  Nicolai  sug- 
gested a  series  of  letters,  to  be  published  as  occasion 
might  demand,  containing  criticisms  on  current  literature. 
This  was  the  origin  of  Lessing's  "  Letters  on  Current 


50  INTRODUCTION. 

Literature,"  the  great  majority  being  by  him.  "  These 
letters,  however,  fragmentary  as  they  are,  have  played  a 
splendid  part  in  the  spiritual  development  of  Germany, 
and  to  this  day  they  are  looked  upon  as  an  educational 
factor  in  the  culture  of  every  educated  German."  (Sime, 
i.  171.)  They  are  an  advance  upon  everything  he  had  yet 
written.  It  is  the  ripe  fruit  of  the  matured  man.  Much 
thought  and  deep  reading  had  given  firmness  and  breadth 
of  intellect  to  the  critic.  He  wields  the  critic's  knife 
with  more  assurance,  cuts  deeper,  is  more  original  and 
fresher,  is  profounder,  and  stroke  follows  upon  stroke 
with  great  rapidity.  ''  In  every  line  we  feel  the  hnpress 
of  his  personality."  The  true  art  of  criticism  is  now  first 
discovered,  and  thoroughly  revolutionizes  that  branch  of 
literature.  The  effect  was  salutary.  It  was  not  the  criti- 
cism of  single  books ;  he  extended  his  remarks  to  whole 
departments  of  literature.  ^'They  are  the  most  important 
and  forcible  phenomenon  of  the  German  journalism  of  the 
eighteenth  century."  (Stahr,  i.  IGl.)  Lessing's  criticism 
is  always  productive.  With  the  "Literary  Letters"  he 
had  again  won  a  new  basis.  The  fruit  was  the  "  Philotas" 
and  "Fables,"  both  appearing  in  1759.  The  first  is  an 
heroic  prose  drama  in  one  act;  it  is  the  result  of  Les- 
sing's deep  study  of  the  Greek  drama  at  this  period. 

In   this   year  (1759)   Lessing    suffered    a   severe   loss. 
His  friend  E.  C.  von  Kleist  fell  in  the  battle  of  Kuners- 
dorf  on  Aug.  24,  1759.     His  sorrow  was  deep  and  heart- 
felt, and  his  loneliness  may  have  been  the  cause  of  his: 
leaving  Berlin,  this  time  for  Breslau.     Kleist  had   made 


INTRODUCTION.  51 

him  acquainted  with  General  Tauenzien,  "  who  for 
his  brave  defence  of  Breslau  had  been  made  governor 
of  that  city."  Lessing  was  appointed  his  secretary, 
and  moved  to  Breslau  in  1760.  AYe  can  pass  rapidly 
over  the  four  years  spent  there,  as  they  were  devoted  to 
his  duties  as  secretary.  It  was  the  happiest  time  of  his 
life,  where  he  was  free  from  care  for  daily  bread,  and 
where  he  lived  in  comfort.  Nor  need  we  dweU  on  the 
life  he  led  there  among  the  officers,  nor  mention  his  pro- 
pensity for  gambling,  of  which  so  much  has  been  made. 
Here  he  had  leisure  to  devote  himself  to  study  without 
the  necessity  of  writing  for  a  living.  Here  he  composed, 
or  sketched,  the  two  great  works,  "  Laokoon "  and 
*'  Minna  von  Barnhelm."  In  fact  he  enlarged  his  knowl- 
edge in  all  the  branches  of  his  activity  and  rounded  out 
his  education.  He  studied  Spinoza  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  philosophy ;  here  he  began  his  patristic 
studies  ;  here  he  became  acquainted  with  real  life  ;  here 
he  learned  to  esteem  the  soldier,  as  we  see  in  "  Minna," 
and  brought  the  true  soldier  on  the  stage  instead  of  the 
customary  caricatures.  "  In  reality  this  was  one  of  the 
busiest  and  most  fruitful  periods  of  his  career ;  and  his 
work  was  all  the  more  splendid  in  its  results  because  it 
was  in  no  way  forced,  but  was  taken  up  or  dropped  ac- 
cording to  the  inclination  of  the  moment."  (Sime,  i.  216.) 
But  his  longing  once  more  to  resume  his  literaiy  labors 
proved  too  strong,  and  after  a  service  of  four  years  he 
resigned.  He  planned  to  go  from  Breslau  to  Vienna  and 
use  the  imperial  library  there,  then  proceed  to  Italy  and 


52  INTRODUCTION. 

Greece,  and  thus  visit  the  classic  lands.  How  different 
might  have  been  his  life-work,  to  what  greater  heights 
might  he  not  have  attained,  had  he  been  able  to  carry  out 
this  plan ! 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  1765,  we  find  him  again  in 
Berlin.  His  hope  was  now  to  obtain  a  situation  in  the 
Royal  Library,  which  his  friends  were  endeavoring  to 
secure  for  him.  But  Frederick  had  seemingly  not  for- 
gotten the  little  difficulty  Lessing  once  had  with  Voltaire, 
or  for  some  other  unknown  reason  refused  to  appoint  him 
to  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  keeper.  Les- 
sing was  deeply  disappointed,  and  took  a  great  dislike 
to  Berlin,  which  after  years  never  overcame.  His  great 
desire  now  was  to  leave  it  for  some  permanent  work 
elsewhere.  He  closed  the  ''  Literary  Letters,"  which 
had  continued,  though  rather  weakly,  during  his  absence, 
and  devoted  his  leisure  moments  to  the  completion  of  his 
two  great  works. 

Though  the  *'  Minna  "  was  for  the  most  part  composed 
in  Breslau  (they  even  show  the  house  in  which  Lessing  is 
said  to  have  written  it),  on  his  arrival  in  Berlin  he  re- 
vised every  act  with  Ramler,  accepting  nearly  every  change 
suggested  by  his  friend.  Every  line  shows  the  joyous- 
ness  of  its  author.  It  was  his  last  comedy,  as  he  felt 
incompetent  to  excel  it,  and  did  not  wish  to  compose 
anything  inferior  to  it.  He  felt  that  he  had  at  last 
reached  a  higher  standard,  and  wrote  as  follows  to 
Ramler  about  the  piece  :  "If  it  is  not  better  than  any  of 
my  other  dramatic  pieces,  1  am  firmly  resolved  to  have 


INTRODUCTION.  53 

nothing  more  to  do  with  the  theatre."  It  passes  even 
now  for  the  best  German  comedy,  and  gave  artistic 
completion  to  his  study  of  the  drama.  The  secret  of  its 
popularity  lies  in  the  fact  that  Lessing  entirely  broke 
with  the  traditions  of  the  stage,  and  instead  of  the  con- 
ventional theatrical  figures  represents  in  this  play  char- 
acters taken  from  real  life  and  full  of  living  interest. 
They  have  an  effective  freshness  in  which  individualities 
are  skilfully  contrasted,  and  the  motives  are  carefully, 
intellectually,  and  at  the  same  time  naturally  and  grace- 
fully brought  out.  The  work  opened  the  way  for  the 
Germans  to  a  truly  national  drama.  In  it  they  found  the 
model  of  animated  and  brilliant  dramatic  composition. 
Art  found  a  school  for  new  and  independent  development. 
But  Lessing  had  the  great  good  fortune  to  find  an  Eckhof , 
Borchers,  Ackermann,  Bruckner,  Grossmann,  Schroeder, 
Madame  Mecour,  Madame  Brandes  to  interpret  his  works, 
without  whose  aid  he  would  never  have  achieved  so  much 
for  the  national  German  drama.  (Prolsz.)  His  "Minna" 
breathes  the  national  Teutonic  spirit,  and  is  not  a  mere 
recast  of  foreign  ideas,  like  all  the  other  German  plays  of 
that  age.  This  piece,  with  the  "Emilia  Galotti,"  forms  a 
part  of  the  poet's  own  life-experience  in  dramatic  study 
and  of  his  feeling  for  the  common  cause  then  agitating 
all  Germany.  It  is  the  highest  result  of  productive  criti- 
cism. In  the  Critical  Analysis  of  the  play  at  the  end 
of  this  Introduction  we  shall  enter  more  minutely  into 
the  discussion  of  the  piece. 

The  other  great  production  of  the  Breslau  period  was 


54  INTRODUCTION. 

the  "  Laokoon,"  which  Lessing  brought  with  him  to  Ber- 
lin. Here  he  revised  it  in  consultation  with  his  friend 
Mendelssohn,  who  gave  him  invaluable  aid  on  the  various 
points  therein  discussed.  It  is  a  work  on  the  "  Boundary 
between  Painting  and  Poetry,"  and  the  part  then  pub- 
lished formed  the  first  volume  ;  the  second  was  never 
completed.  It  ranks  as  a  classic  in  European  literature  ; 
it  is  the  work  of  a  master-critic ;  its  style  is  the  noblest 
and  best  that  Lessing  ever  reached ;  its  learning  is  im- 
mense ;  and  it  has  been  the  supreme  authority  ever  since 
its  publication. 

A  few  months  later  Lessing  was  invited  to  take  the 
position  of  "  critic  of  the  plays  and  actors"  at  the  Ger- 
man National  Theatre  in  Hamburg,  with  a  salary  of  six 
hundred  dollars.  In  April,  1767,  he  repaired  to  Hamburg 
to  new  trials  and  disappointments.  The  theatre  closed 
Nov.  25,  1768.  The  want  of  public  appreciation,  jeal- 
ousies of  the  actors,  mismanagement,  and  blunders  were 
the  causes  of  the  failure.  Lessing's  criticisms  were  col- 
lected under  the  title  of  the  "  Hamburg  Dramaturgy,"  in 
which  he  "  laid  down  general  critical  laws  for  dramatists 
and  actors ;  he  admonished  the  Germans  to  produce 
works  bearing  the  stamp  of  nationality,  or  rather  origi- 
nality ;  he  thoroughly  demolished  the  prestige  of  the 
French  school."  These  criticisms  proved  the  noblest 
fruit  of  the  whole  undertaking,  and  remain  to  this  day 
the  glory  of  the  German  nation.  They  sum  up  the  study 
of  Lessing's  life.  The  principles  of  Aristotle  are  thor- 
oughly discussed  and  applied  to  the  modern  drama.     The 


INTRODUCTION.  55 

French  masters  Corneille,  Racine,  Voltaire,  the  English 
Shakespeare,  the  Danish  Holberg,  Lope  and  Calderon,  the 
Italians,  the  German  Lessing  himself,  — all  are  subjected 
to  a  thorough  and  impartial  criticism.  No  one  has  prob- 
ably ever  assumed  such  a  position  with  the  same  excel- 
lent preparation.  He  had  not  only  studied  the  whole 
field  of  criticism,  and  long  dealt  with  these  very  problems 
which  he  was  now  to  solve  once  and  forever,  but  he  had 
also  been  a  productive  critic  whose  own  works  were 
models  in  their  way  for  all  times.  The  classic  produc- 
tions of  Greece  and  Rome,  the  masterpieces  of  England 
and  France,  of  Italy  and  Spain,  were  familiar  to  him ; 
Aristotle  had  been  his  constant  study  and  guide.  He 
knew  him  and  understood  him  as  no  man  before  him  had 
done,  and  but  few  since  his  day.  Such  criticisms  were 
then  entirely  unknown,  and  had  a  life  and  charm  about 
them  that  were  very  refreshing  and  quickening.  It  would 
be  impossible  here  to  subject  them  to  a  thorough  and 
fruitful  discussion,  and  we  must  dismiss  them  with  these 
few  remarks.  In  the  midst  of  these  criticisms  Lessing 
became  involved  in  one  of  his  hottest  literary  contro- 
versies. He  had  made  "  a  complimentary  allusion  to 
C.  A.  Klotz  in  one  of  the  notes  to  '  Laokoon '  as  '  a  man 
of  just  and  fine  taste.'  "  Klotz  reviewed  the  "  Laokoon," 
giving  Lessing  fulsome  praise,  but  also  criticising  many 
things.  He  sent  his  review  with  a  note  to  Lessing,  who 
never  noticed  it.  Klotz  could  not  endure  tliis  cool  treat- 
ment, and  resolved  to  revenge  the  slight.  Lessing's  vic- 
tory was  complete  ;  and  the  world  owes  the  ' '  Antiquarian 


56  INTRODUCTION. 

Letters"  and  "  How  the  Ancients  Represent  Death"  to 
this  episode.  In  the  latter  essay  Lessing  refuted  the 
mediaival  idea  of  the  hideous  representation  of  death, 
showing  that  Klotz  and  Winckelmann  were  both  wrong  in 
ascribing  this  idea  of  death  to  the  ancients,  who  repre- 
sented it  as  the  "  twin  brother  of  sleep." 

Lessing  had  now  finished  his  "  Dramaturgy  "  and  was 
again  looking  for  some  enterprise  wherewith  to  earn  a 
livelihood.  It  had  long  been  his  desire  to  go  to  Italy 
and  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  art,  but  he  could  not 
raise  the  sum  necessary  for  the  journey,  small  as  that 
was.  Nor  did  he  wish  to  accept  the  invitation  to  Vienna 
as  poet  of  the  city  theatre  ;  he  was  thoroughly  disgusted 
for  the  time  being  with  the  German  theatre.  Happily  at 
this  time  his  friend  Professor  Ebert  succeeded  in  having 
him  appointed  librarian  by  Prince  Charles  William  Ferdi- 
nand of  Brunswick,  who  desired  to  pose  as  "  an  eminent 
statesman,  a  great  general,  a  good  poet,  and  a  generous 
Maecenas."  Here  Lessing  found  shelter  for  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life,  though  he  still  had  many  trials  to 
undergo.  The  position  was  by  no  means  a  sinecure,  and 
the  Prince  deserves  but  little  credit  for  his  treatment  of 
Germany's  greatest  critic.  In  the  spring  of  1770  Lessing 
formally  entered  upon  his  new  duties,  and  soon  found 
that  he  had  settled  down  in  a  literary  desert.  He  was 
cut  off  from  friends  and  congenial  intercourse,  oppressed 
by  debts  incurred  in  Hamburg  in  unfortunate  specula- 
tions ;  his  works  were  pirated  by  unscrupulous  publishers  ; 
his  parents    claimed    support  for   themselves   and   their 


INTRODUCTION.  57 

children  in  their  old  age,  and  his  salary  was  too  small 
to  meet  all  these  demands  upon  it.  Alwa^^s  of  a  hypo- 
chondriacal temperament,  his  last  years  were  almost 
insupportable  to  him. 

His  Hamburg  experiences  caused  Lessing  to  take  a 
dislike  to  all  theatrical  work ;  but  second  nature  reas- 
serted itself,  and  in  1771  we  find  him  again  busied  with 
a  tragedy.  It  is  the  story  of  "Virginia"  modernized. 
The  "  Emilia  Galotti "  is  incontestably  Lessing's  greatest 
dramatic  work,  though  most  open  to  criticism.  It  is 
less  sympathetic  than  the  "Minna  von  Barnhelm  "  or 
"  Nathan  the  Wise."  Its  superiority  consists  in  the  con- 
ciseness of  its  composition,  in  the  carefully  prepared 
motives,  which  nowhere  check  the  dramatic  progress,  and 
in  the  psychological  fineness  and  profundity  of  the  char- 
acters. It  reflects  the  licentious  life  of  the  princes  of  the 
age  and  the  helpless  state  of  their  subjects  ;  it  is  the  pro- 
ductive part  of  the  Hamburg  "  Dramaturgy,"  embodying 
Lessing's  theory  of  tragedy,  and  completing  the  last  act 
in  the  national  deliverance  from  a  foreign  yoke.  It  was, 
and  still  is  popular,  though  less  so  than  "  Minna." 

Among  Lessing's  Hamburg  friends  was  a  Mr.  Konig, 
a  rich  merchant,  who  died  before  Lessing  left  for  Wol- 
fenbiittel  to  take  charge  of  the  ducal  library.  Soon  after- 
ward Lessing  became  engaged  to  his  friend's  widow,  Eva 
Konig,  —  a  nature  like  his  own,  frank,  honest,  and  inde- 
pendent. It  took  her  six  years  to  settle  her  husband's 
estate,  and  she  saved  only  a  small  portion  for  herself  and 
her  children.     Her  business  had  necessitated  a  sojourn  in 


58  INTRODUCTION. 

Vienna.  In  the  fall  of  1774  she  announced  to  Lessing 
that  her  diiliculties  were  over  and  that  she  would  soon 
return  to  Hamburg.  He  finally  resolved  to  go  to  Vienna 
and  accompany  her  home.  "  The  imperial  ambassador 
at  the  Prussian  court  had  encouraged  him  with  the  hope 
that  they  would  be  only  too  glad  at  Vienna  to  provide 
hhn  with  a  settled  post,  and  had  given  him  many  im- 
portant letters  of  introduction."  (Sime,  ii.  151.)  His 
joy  at  seeing  his  betrothed  was  great,  but  of  short  dura- 
tion. Prince  Leopold,  the  youngest  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick,  soon  arrived,  and  learning  of  Lessing's  pres- 
ence, requested  him  to  accompany  him  to  Italy.  The 
lovers  were  inconsolable  ;  but  the  request  of  a  prince  was 
a  command,  —  all  the  more  so  in  this  case,  as  the  Empress 
Maria  Theresa  likewise  urged  him  to  go. 

His  reception  by  the  court  and  people  of  Vienna  was 
magnificent.  "  Never  has  a  German  scholar  been  re- 
ceived here  with  more  distinction,"  wrote  Gebler  to 
Nicolai.  He  attended  the  theatre,  where  ''  Emilia  Ga- 
lotti "  was  played,  and  was  greeted  with  "  Vivat  Les- 
sing "  by  the  public.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  each 
gave  him  an  audience.  The  latter  gave  him  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction to  Count  Firmian  of  Milan.  We  will  omit  the 
travels  in  Italy,  as  they  were  very  unsatisfactory.  How 
different  from  the  journey  he  had  ever  been  dreaming 
of  when  he  should  devote  his  days  to  the  study  of 
art  at  the  fountain-head  !  He  returned  to  Brunswick  in 
1776,  and  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  was  married  on  the 
8th  of  October  of  the  same  year  to  Eva  Konig.    How  brief 


INTRODUCTION.  59 

and  fleeting  was  the  one  short  year  of  comfort  allotted  to 
the  thorny  life  of  this  great  man !  But  it  was  a  happy 
year  ;  he  was  calmer  than  ever  before.  Eva  Konig  "  was 
a  remarkable  woman,  most  amiable  in  her  intercourse 
with  the  world,  and  of  a  rare  nobility  and  energy  of  char- 
acter." (Buchheim,  p.  xlv.)  ''  If  it  were  possible  to  meet 
with  more  humanity  and  beneficent  kindliness  in  any  one 
than  in  Lessing,  it  must  be  in  Lessing's  wife,'*  says 
Spittler,  who  spent  a  few  days  with  them  at  WolfenbUt- 
tel.  His  friend  Mendelssohn  visited  him,  and  went  away 
rejoicing  at  the  change.  But  only  too  soon  desolation 
came  back  to  him.  On  Jan.  3,  1778,  he  wrote  to  his 
friend  Eschenburg :  "  I  seize  the  moment  in  which  my 
wife  lies  without  consciousness  to  thank  ^^ou  for  your 
kind  interest.  My  pleasure  was  but  brief.  And  I  lost 
him  so  unwillingly,  this  son !  "  For  a  week  his  wife 
straggled  between  life  and  death,  and  on  the  10th 
Eschenburg  received  the  following:  "  My  wife  is  dead ; 
this  experience  also  I  have  now  passed  through.  I  re- 
joice that  there  cannot  be  many  more  such  experiences 
left  for  me,  and  am  quite  easy.  It  is  also  well  that  I 
may  feel  assured  of  your  sympathy  and  that  of  our  other 
friends."  It  was  the  agonizing  cry  of  a  bleeding  heart 
which  knew  no  consolation. 

The  immediate  occasion  of  ''  Nathan  the  TVise  "  arose 
from  one  of  Lessinsf's  most  bitter  controversies.  Amous: 
the  "  Wolfenbiittel  Fragments  "  Lessing  had  published  a 
manuscript  of  Prof.  S.  Reimarus  containing  deistic  doc- 
trines, for  which  Pastor  Goeze  took  up  the  battle  with  hun. 


60  INTRODUCTION. 

When  prohibited  from  controversial  writing  by  the  author- 
ities Lessiug  turned  once  more  to  the  drama.  "Nathan 
the  Wise  "  represents  religious  tolerance  for  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile. It  occupies  in  Lessing's  dramas  the  same  place  that 
"Faust "does  in  Goethe's  works.  It  surpasses  all  his 
other  poetry  in  depth  of  thought  and  in  brilliancy.  It 
is  the  best  he  had  to  give. 

One  other  production  resulted  from  his  anti-Goeze 
controversy,  the  "  Education  of  the  Human  Race." 
Published  in  1780,  it  has  an  important  bearing  upon 
the  speculations  of  the  present  century.  It  is  a  phil- 
osophical treatise,  starting  out  with  the  proposition, 
"  What  education  is  to  the  individual,  revelation  is  to  the 
whole  race."  "  It  is  one  of  the  most  suggestive  treatises 
published  in  Lessing's  time."  (Sime,  ii.  271.)  It  advo- 
cates progressive  revelation  and  progressive  religion  ac- 
cording to  the  needs  and  development  of  the  human 
race,  and  furnishes  "  the  real  grounds  of  tolerance  of 
which  Nathan  and  Saladin  are  the  ideal  representatives." 
(Ibid.) 

However  great  changes  Lessing  introduced  into  the 
intellectual  life  of  his  time,  he  was  merely  a  reformer 
discussing  questions  already  under  consideration.  He 
strove  to  retain  as  much  as  possible,  and  thus  made  the 
first  part  of  the  great  classic  period  brilliant.  He  estab- 
lished new  laws  and  new  models,  and  inaugurated  a  new 
epoch  in  the  development  of  the  literary  and  intellectual 
life  of  Germany.  The  investigation  of  the  drama  was  the 
central  point  of  his  aesthetic  interests.     In  the  "  Literary 


INTRODUCTION.  61 

Letters"  (1759)  he  broke   entirely  with  the  doctrine  of 
Gottsched,    and   became    an    adherent   of    Shakespeare. 
Still  his  "  Philotas  "  was  diametrically  opposed  to  Shake- 
speare, and  resulted  from  his  careful  study  of  Sophocles. 
The  one  great  principle  of  Lessing's  nature  was  his  ex- 
treme deske  to  solve  every  problem  by  his  own  exertions, 
in  his  own  way,  by  actual  examination.     It  was  not  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  in  itself  for  which  he  strove, 
but  the  discipline  and  skill  gained    by   the   very  etfort 
put  forth  in  acquiring  it.     Ever  restless  and  active,  he 
could  never  force  himself  to  complete  any  one  subject. 
Though  his  efforts  to  found  a  national  German  theatre 
were  practically  a  failure,  he  yet  made  it  a  possibility. 
His  language  was  clear,  simple,  natural,  vivacious,  terse, 
full  of  force  and  pith,  melodious  and  harmonious.     His 
example  is  suggestive,  inspiring  ;  "  his  influence  indirect, 
but  effective."     Above  all,  he  was  manly,  independent,  a 
foe  to  error,  an  unsparing,  impartial  critic.     He  made  the 
profession  of  letters  respectable  in  Germany.    His  method 
of  investigation  is  tentative,  not  final ;  he  tore  down  sys- 
tems, but  built  up  none  ;  he  was  destructive  rather  than 
constructive,  —  and  perhaps   his   age  demanded  such  a 
critic,  rather  than  a  constructive  one.     Herder  surpassed 
him  in  the  art  of  judging  minds,  but  not  books.     His 
discussion  of  the  rules  of  Aristotle  shows  at  the  best  the 
gradual  but  sure  development  of  the  man  by  dint  of  con- 
tinual study  and  production.     His  aim  had  ever  been  to 
create  a  peculiarly  German   literature,  and  he  was  not 
satisfied  to  accept  the  dicta  of  any  nation,  not  even  the 


62  INTRODUCTION. 

Greek.  Almost  too  classical  in  his  nature,  he  inclined 
too  much  to  the  Greek  drama :  it  is  for  this  reason  that 
he  understood  Aristotle  better  than  any  other  before  him. 
Still  he  remains  the  most  brilliant  example  of  the  German 
national  spirit,  endowed  with  all  the  qualities  of  the  Ger- 
man people.  His  powers  as  an  essayist  are  seen  in  the 
"  Literary  Letters."  "  If  Goethe,  Schiller,  Kant,  found 
a  nation  prepared  to  receive  their  work,  they  owed  the 
fact  to  many  causes  ;  but  among  these  the  chief  were  the 
political  activity  of  Frederick  II.  and  the  literary  activity 
of  Lessing."     (Encycl.  Brit.,  x.  480.) 

After  the  death  of  his  wife  Lessing's  health  never 
seemed  good,  and  his  deep  melancholy  of  former  years 
once  more  settled  upon  him.  He  entered  with  zeal  into 
the  Goeze  controversy,  as  it  afforded  him  relief  from  his 
deep  sorrow.  The  completion  of  his  "Nathan"  was 
his  last  great  effort.  On  Feb.  15,  1781,  Germany  lost 
her  foremost  critic,  the  pilot  who  had  guided  her  into  a 
secure  haven. 

CRITICAL  ANALYSIS   OF  "MINNA  VON  BARNHELM." 

As  this  production  raised  the  drama  to  a  higher  level 
than  that  in  which  it  had  hitherto  moved,  it  deserves  a 
careful  study  from  an  sesthetical  point  of  view.  Lessing 
has  here  endeavored  to  present  us  a  living  picture  of  the 
period  immediately  succeeding  the  Seven  Years'  War. 
In  it  he  portrays  the  soldierly  heroism  which  it  produced, 
and  also  paints  the  horrors  of  brute  force.     His  life  in 


INTRODUCTION.  63 

Breslau  had  afforded  him  the  best  opportunity  possible 
for  gatheriDg  the  required  information,  and  his  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  stage  enabled  him  to  write  a  popular 
and  at  the  same  time  classic  comedy.  Free  from  all  sec- 
tional feelings  in  the  matter,  he  could  write  it  from  a 
national  point  of  view,  and  his  long  battle  against  foreign 
thraldom  had  prepared  the  public  for  the  just  apprecia- 
tion of  German  customs  on  the  stage.  The  historical 
background  recalled  the  recent  victories  of  Frederick  II. 
and  secured  the  interest  of  the  audience  without  an  effort. 
The  presentation  of  the  characters  is  very  fortunate. 
Lessing's  whole  soul  is  in  the  play.  The  unfolding  of 
the  plot  is  systematic,  yet  natural.  The  dialogue  is 
clear,  fresh,  and  animated.  Even  in  his  latest  years 
Goethe  called  the, first  two  acts  of  "Minna"  a  master- 
piece for  the  unfolding  of  the  plot,  second  only  to  that  of 
Moliere's  "  Tartuffe,"  "  which  had  existed  only  once  in 
the  world,  and  was  the  best  and  greatest  of  its  kind." 
Schiller,  never  friendly  to  Lessing,  admitted  "  Emilia 
Galotti,"  "Nathan  the  Wise,"  and  "Minna  von  Barn- 
helm  "  to  the  Weimar  repertory.  Eduard  Devrient,  the 
historian  of  the  German  theatre,  says  that  the  "  Minna" 
overcame  the  indifference  of  the  more  select  circles  to  the 
German  stage.  The  characters  are  natural  and  extremely 
well  portrayed  in  every  particular ;  we  become  acquainted 
with  them  from  their  actual  deeds,  as  we  do  with  people 
in  real  life.  The  tone  is  really  comic ;  the  dialogue 
excellent,  and  in  the  style  of  the  ancients  and  that  of 
Moliere.      The   conversation    is    always    naturally  intro- 


64  INTRODUCTION. 

duced  ;  nothing  is  forced.  Naturalness  and  truthfulness 
are  the  two  greatest  excellences  of  the  play.  Originality 
and  geniality  stand  next.  It  shows  the  "  genial  insight 
and  unprejudiced  way  of  thinking  which  Lessiug  pos- 
sessed in  the  fullest  measure."  It  is  the  most  important 
of  all  Lessing's  dramatic  works,  being  generally  classed 
with  the  serio-comic  plays,  and  containing  elements  of 
the  greatest  interest,  even  if  denied  the  title  of  a  comedy 
of  genius. 

His  duties  as  secretary  of  General  Tauenzien  afforded 
him  a  fine  opportunity  of  studying  military  life.  While 
at  Breslau  he  frequented  the  company  of  none  but 
officers,  and  after  the  peace  in  1763  often  saw  discharged 
officers  in  nearly  the  same  circumstances  as  his  Tellheim. 
All  the  characters,  except  Riccaut,  are  German,  and  be- 
long to  the  period  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  at  the  close 
of  which  the  plot  is  laid.  Of  course  it  is  not  our  in- 
tention to  follow  Lessing  through  the  various  literatures 
of  Europe,  to  see  where  he  found  this  and  that  hint  and 
examine  what  use  he  made  of  it.  On  Aug.  20,  1764,  he 
writes  :  "  I  am  burning  with  the  desire  of  putting  the  last 
touches  on  my  '  Minna  von  Barnhelm.'  "  He  had  already 
in  1763  formed  the  conception  of  the  play,  and  made  a 
rough  draft  of  it ;  now  he  was  desirous  of  completing  it. 
In  1765  he  returned  to  Berlin,  and  carefully  revised  every 
act  with  Ramler.  He  felt  sure  of  success.  He  received 
a  hint  for  his  plot  in  an  historical  fact  of  the  war.  The 
dragoon  Marshal  von  Bieberstein  —  called  Tell  by  his 
comrades   because   he   was   the   best    pistol   shot  —  had 


INTRODUCTION.  65 

saved  Liibben  from  burning  by  advancing  the  contribu- 
tion demanded  of  it.  Lessing  wove  this  actual  fact  into 
his  play.  The  unjustifiable  dismissal  of  meritorious  offi- 
cers was  no  uncommon  occurrence  at  the  close  of  the 
Seven  Years'  War.  Numerous  free  battalions  were  dis- 
charged, and  men  and  officers  were  sent  home  without 
reward  for  faithful  services.  Frederick  declared  that 
he  could  not  support  so  many  troops.  The  evil  results 
therefrom  are  well  portrayed  by  Lessing.  The  Sergeant- 
Major  Werner  was  the  rapidly  promoted  and  recently  en- 
nobled Paul  AVerner,  who  was  chief  of  a  Prussian  hussar 
regiment  from  1757  to  1785.  Otway's  "The  Soldier's 
•Fortune"  and  Farquhar's  "The  Constant  Double"  fur- 
nished him  with  various  hints,  which  he  skilfully  used. 

The  whole  drama  is  distinguished  in  every  particular 
for  the  thoroughness  of  its  conception  and  the  careful 
and  artistic  execution  of  its  plan.  The  play  is  sys- 
tematically arranged,  so  that  every  scene  has  its  proper 
bearing  on  the  main  action  and  the  regular  development 
of  the  plot.  The  characters  are  all  well  maintained 
throughout,  and  at  no  time  do  they  forget  themselves 
and  the  part  they  bear  to  the  whole.  The  action  and 
cast  of  the  piece  are  carefully  connected ;  every  feature 
naturally  adapts  itself  to  an  organic  whole  ;  and  yet  all 
is  fresh,  lively,  and  natural,  —  easy,  and  in  nowise  con- 
strained or  checked  in  the  natural  flow  of  the  language, 
but  proceeds  freely  from  the  soul  of  the  poet.  Lessing 
here  showed  his  true  poetic  nature ;  he  seemed  to  write 
with  the  consciousness  that  he  was  creating  something 


66  INTRODUCTION. 

superior  to  anything  Germany  had  hitherto  produced ; 
hence  the  joyous,  easy,  cheerful  movement  of  the  play. 
It  is  the  opening  of  a  new  era  in  German  comedy. 
Schiller's  demand  that  the  comic  writer  shall  instruct  as 
well  as  entertain  has  been  satisfied.  The  dialogue  is  all 
that  could  be  desired.  It  is  full  of  wit  and  shrewdness, 
—  perhaps  too  much  so.  Often  it  seems  to  be  a  mere 
dialectical  discussion.  The  contest  of  the  lovers  is  con- 
ducted with  reasons  and  counter-reasons,  with  attack  and 
repulse.  The  question  of  marriage  is  discussed  from 
every  point  of  view,  and  our  interest  in  the  final  issue  is 
awakened.  We  see  Lessing  the  critic  carrying  on  the 
debate  from  behind  the  throne.  He  occasionally  con- 
ducted his  investigations  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue  ;  here 
he  has  turned  his  dialogue  into  the  form  of  an  investiga- 
tion, yet  so  natural  and  easy  that  the  audience  does  not 
observe  it.  The  discussion  is  not  merely  an  exchange  of 
arguments  and  feelings ;  the  ideas  are  reflective,  so  to 
speak,  and  produce  a  mutual  effect  one  upon  another. 
The  dialogue  is  full  of  repartees,  maxims,  sayings,  and 
witticisms,  which  come  in  appropriately  and  set  off  the 
characters.  There  are  no  long  and  wearisome  mono- 
logues, and  those  found  in  the  play  are  models  of  short- 
ness and  pointedness,  and  are  only  used  when  necessary 
to  advance  the  movement  of  the  play.  Every  scene  is 
perfect  in  its  way.  The  author  expresses  himself  in  pure 
and  idiomatic  German  ;  the  characters  show  a  noble  spirit 
of  "  honor,  disinterestedness,  generosity,  and  manli- 
ness."    It  introduces  on  the  stao'e  a  new  language  of  a 


INTRODUCTION.  67 

more  elevated  character  and  suitable  for  higher  circles. 
It  is  melodious  and  graceful  in  Minna's  conversation, 
serious  in  Tellheim's,  natural  and  popular  with  the  foot- 
man. Here  Lessing's  dialogue  is  at  its  best;  in  "  Emilia 
Galotti"  it  borders  on  mannerism;  in  "Nathan"  it  is 
fettered  by  the  verse ;  here  it  is  free  and  light,  but 
modulated  to  suit  the  occasion.  The  barest  hints  are 
understood,  and  in  most  cases  question  and  reply  fol- 
low in  quick  succession.  Everywhere  a  fulness  of  grace- 
ful, thoughtful,  intellectual  expressions,  not  laboriously 
sought,  but  natural  and  easy.  The  play  has  been  ac- 
cused of  being  unnatural,  of  not  belonging  to  true  and 
good  comedy,  especially  by  the  French,  who  have  such 
an  abundance  of  excellent  comedies  that  they  cannot  ap- 
preciate the  efforts  of  the  Germans  in  this  line.  Judged 
from  the  German  point  of  view  it  is  excellent ;  its  style  is* 
superior,  its  unfolding  of  the  plot  skilfully  conducted, 
and  its  scenes  pleasant. 

Lessing  had  addressed  his  "Literary  Letters"  to  a 
wounded  Prussian  officer.  In  his  own  thought  this  was 
his  bosom  friend  Major  Kleist,  who  in  his  eyes  at  least 
was  a  hero.  In  this  same  yesiV  his  friend  fell  in  the 
battle  of  Kunersdorf.  "  When  I  recall  Kleist's  disposi- 
tion, in  which  poet  and  hero  were  combined,  his  bravery, 
his  compassion,  his  generosity,  which  Lessing  had  known, 
I  cannot  doubt  that  the  picture  of  his  friend  stood  before 
him  when  he  formed  the  character  of  Tellheim."  (Kuno 
Fischer,  p.  88.)  Perhaps  Lessing  may  have  thought  of  his 
dead  friend ;  but  he  has  certainly  put  much  of  his  own 


68  INTRODUCTION. 

character  in  Tellheim.  The  hypochondriacal  yet  serious 
nature  of  Tellheim  is  Lessing  himself ;  the  sterling  hon- 
esty, the  heated  exaggeration  of  his  circumstances,  the 
negligence  in  money  matters,  the  bitter  laugh,  the  re- 
strained feeling  for  Minna  which  breaks  forth  when  he 
believes  her  forsaken,  is  certainly  Lessing.  Kleist,  how- 
ever, was  the  principal  model  for  Tellheim ;  he  represents 
the  disrelish  for  service  in  time  of  peace  and  the  milder 
features  of  Tellheim.  Tellheim's  character  forms  the 
real  motive  of  the  play,  and  is  free  from  everything 
comical ;  the  other  characters  are  subordinate.  The  seri- 
ous way  in  which  he  looks  upon  life  may  cause  a  pleasant 
smile  at  times,  but  never  ridicule.  He  is  very  much  like 
the  Spanish  cavaliers  of  Lope  de  Vega  and  Calderon, 
though  nobler  and  purer.  His  honor  is  the  principle  of 
his  life.  He  is  a  model  officer,  a  knightly,  manly  char- 
acter, an  excellent  master,  a  brave  soldier.  A  Cour- 
lander  by  birth,  he  feels  himself  drawn  to  the  great 
Frederick,  in  whose  service  he  purposes  to  win  glory  and 
honor.  He  rose  rapidly  to  major.  Ordered  to  collect 
a  forced  contribution  in  Thuringia,  he  compassionately 
advances  the  sum  to  the  estates,  is  dismissed  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  accused  of  compromising  with  the 
Thuringians.  We  have  seen  above  that  Lessing  prob- 
ably founded  this  on  actual  fact.  Wounded  in  his 
honor,  he  persuades  himself  that  he  cannot  honorably 
marry  Minna,  but  sends  her  no  word  of  this  resolu- 
tion. He  is  modest,  and  never  hints  of  chivalrous  or 
military  honor.     Perhaps  if  any  criticism  is  to  be  passed 


INTRODUCTION.  69 

upon  it,  we  may  say  that  the  character  is  too  much 
idealized. 

Lessing  seems  to  have  taken  especial  delight  in  de- 
picting the  character  of  Minna.  She  has  been  called  the 
offspring  of  his  intellect,  and  is  said  to  represent  his 
understanding ;  for  she  possesses  his  intellectual  acute- 
ness  and  his  wit.  In  the  serious  scenes  she  is  thoughtful, 
sincere,  neither  languishing  nor  fearful ;  for  she  has  a 
cheerful  disposition,  which  contrasts  finely  with  Tell- 
heim's  hypochondria.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  noble 
Thuringian  race,  is  rich  and  well  educated.  Early  in 
life  she  lost  her  parents,  and  was  in  the  care  of  an  uncle. 
Before  she  had  seen  Tellheim  she  loved  him  for  his  gen- 
erosity to  her  countrymen,  sought  him  out,  and  won  him. 
She  was  kindly  disposed,  noble,  animated,  intelligent, 
resolute  in  carrying  out  what  she  undertook,  pure,  lovely, 
sympathetic,  womanly.  Tellheim  himself  describes  her 
best.  "You  are  the  sweetest,  most  lovely,  gracious, 
best  being  under  the  sun,  —  now  and  then  a  little  mis- 
chievous, here  and  there  a  little  stubborn."  "  The  play- 
ful element  seems  to  form  in  fact  the  essential  part  of 
her  character."  It  is  a  creation  after  Lessing's  own 
heart,  —  healthy,  unprejudiced,  outspoken,  impulsive. 
She  never  oversteps  the  boundary  of  womanly  modesty, 
is  without  sentimentality,  but  with  deep  feeling.  ''  She 
is  never  shy  nor  forward,  but  simply  unaffected ;  never 
misunderstanding  others,  and  assuming  that  others  will 
not  misunderstand  her." 

Franciska  is  superior  to  the  French  Lisettes.     She  is 


70  INTRODUCTION. 

cheerful,  quick-witted,  sharp,  but  lacks  Minna's  depth, 
warmth,  and  independence.  Child  of  a  miller  on  the 
estate  of  her  father,  she  was  educated  with  Minna,  whom 
she  loves  and  serves  faithfully.  Talkative,  clever,  pert, 
fond  of  teasing,  she  entertains  and  charms  at  the  same 
time.  Lessing  has  lent  her  some  of  his  wit  and  shrewd- 
ness, and  she  appears  too  wise  for  her  station.  Since 
she,  however,  enjoyed  the  same  education  as  her  mistress, 
this  is  not  so  strange  as  it  might  seem  under  ordinary 
circumstances. 

Paul  Werner  is  altogether  different  from  Just ;  he  is 
the  romanticist  of  warriors.  "  I  was  a  soldier;  I  must 
be  one  again !  "  he  exclaimed,  and  thanks  God  that  there 
is  war  somewhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  He  is  strict 
and  ceremonious  in  matters  of  service,  but  with  all  that  a 
"right  jolly  fellow."  He  is  a  frank,  cheerful  nature, 
overflowing  with  good  humor  and  joy ;  his  grandest 
quality  is  his  great  fidelity.  With  his  Hotspur  tempera- 
ment he  wins  as  many  friends  as  by  his  milder  qualities. 
Generous  to  a  fault,  he  is  as  careless  about  money  as  the 
major. 

Just  is  from  the  dregs  of  society,  where  one  is  accus- 
tomed to  look  for  rough  virtues.  Franciska  calls  him  a 
beast ;  so  does  Tellheim.  He  is  coarse  and  defiant ;  but 
his  dog-like  fidelity  is  a  redeeming  feature.  He  de- 
lights in  telling  Franciska  of  the  former  dishonest  ser- 
vants of  his  master  whom  she  knew  and  admired.  His 
unvarnished  gratitude  and  sterling  honesty  are  well  por- 
trayed in  the  scene  of  settlement  between  himself  and  the 


INTRODUCTION.  71 

major.  He  is  stubborn,  savage,  impetuous,  revengeful, 
selfish,  rough,  low,  vulgar.  Lessing,  however,  never  in- 
troduces him  for  comic  effect,  but  keeps  him  well  in  the 
background. 

Riccaut  de  la  Marliniere  is  a  French  emigrant  and 
fortune-hunter,  a  gambler,  and  a  burlesque  on  French 
boastfulness.  Perhaps  such  a  charaiiter  may  be  allowed 
just  after  the  war.  It  is  the  old  "miles  gloriosus " 
and  the  modern  trickster.  It  is  a  parody  on  German 
Francomania.  He  has  no  special  bearing  on  the  main 
action  of  the  piece,  and  probably  took  the  place  of  Har- 
lequin. Dr.  Schuchardt  has  made  a  special  study  of 
this  character,  and  we  refer  all  who  wish  to  learn  more 
about  it  to  his  work  (Riccaut  de  la  Marliniere,  ein 
Beitrag  zur  Erklarung  von  Lessings  Minna.  In  the  pro- 
gramme of  the  Gymnasium  zu  Schleiz,   1879). 

The  host  is  a  low  personage,  only  greedy  for  gain ; 
his  whole  conduct  was  regulated  accordingly.  Like  all 
landlords,  he  is  a  gossip  and  newsmonger,  ever  ready  to 
catch  up  and  retail  tlie  latest  news. 

The  Count  of  Bruchsall,  Minna's  uncle,  hardly  appears 
on  the  scene.  He  lives  a  quiet  and  comfortable  life,  and 
is  cheerful  and  affable.  He  is  just  such  a  character  as 
we  should  imagine  the  uncle  of  Minna  the  heu-ess  to 
be,  —  dignified  and  courteous,  though  a  kind  old  soul. 

The  lackey  —  who  had  been  but  a  few  days  in  Minna's 
service  —  represents  one  of  those  ever-changing,  con- 
scienceless servants   such  as  exist  everywhere. 


ober 

bttS  (©olbtttcttglM. 

(gin    guflfpiel    in    fiinf   aufjitgeit. 


5)  erf  onen^ 


aWajor  Hon  ttUf\tim,  beratifd^iebet 

Wlinna  tJon  S^arn^clm. 

@raf  Uott  $5ni(^foII,  it)r  Dl^eim. 
5  granjigfa,  il;r  ^JJtdbdjen. 

Sufi,  53cbienter  t)c§  5Jiaior§. 

^oul  SBerncr,  gcmcfenei*  aBac^tmci[ter  be§  ^OZajorS. 

S)cr  SBirt. 

(5ine  2)ame  in  ^raucv. 
lo  girt  ^elbjager. 

IRiccout  iJC  Itt  9KorIinicrc. 

5£)ie  ©cene  ift  abtt)cd)fclnb  in  bem  ©oale  cinc§  3Birt§^aufc§  unb 
einem  baran  fto^enben  Simmer. 


Grftct  Slttf^ug* 


^rftcr  5luftntt. 

Sufi  fi&t  in  einem  23tnfct,  fitlummert  imb  rcbct  im  2:raume.     (S^UVfc 
t)on  cinem  Sirtc !  !4^u,  un§  ?  —  grifcf),  -53 ruber !  —  Sdjlage 

gU,  -53ruber  !     ©r  ^olt  au§  unb  erJi?ad)t  burd)  bie  S3eivegung.     §eba  ! 

{rf)on  mteber  ?  3d)  nmdjc  fein  5(uge  p,  fo  fdjlage  id)  mi(^ 
mit  tf)m  I)erum.    ^atk  er  imr  erft  bie  gdlfte  Don  alien  ben 

(Sd)Iagen ! ^od)  fief),  e§  ift  Xag !    3d)  ntufi  nur  balb 

meinen  amten  §errn  niiffud)cn.  ^J3tit  meincm  Sidcn  foil 
er  feinen  ^n^  mcl)r  in  ba<5  nermalcbeitc  §au^  fel^en*  ^o 
mirb  er  bie  92ad)t  3Ut3cbrad)t  ()aben? 


Srtjcitcv  5tuftritt. 
^er  SSirt.    Sufi. 

^cr  SSirt.    ©utcn  3}2orgen,  «?)crr  3^ft  Gotten  9[)2orc^en ! 
(gi,  fd)on  fo  friil)  auf?   Ober  fod  id)  fagcn:  nod)  fo  fpcit  15 
auf? 

Sufi.    (Sage  (Si\  tt)a§  ($r  \mil 

ttx  SSirt.  3^  f^fjc  nid)tv^  aU  ,,c\nkn  SOtorgcn";  unb 
ba§  t)erbient  bod)  trol)(,  ha^  gerr  S^i^  .rOvoJen  ^anf"  ba^ 
rauf  f agt  ?  20 

Supt.    ©rojcn  I^anf ! 


16  yjJiiiua   lion  'i^nrnf) dm. 

^er  SBirt.     Tlan  ift  ncrbric^lid),  tiicnn  man  feme  c\t-- 
()orii]c  9iul)c  nidjt  l^abcn  fmm.    Sa^  gilt'^,  ber  §cit  SJhjor 
ift  nidjt  nad)  §au[c  gefommen,  unb  ^r  t)at  ^icr  auf  iljn 
gctauert  ? 
5      Swfi.    3©a§  ber  Tlann  nidjt  a((e§  erraten  hinn ! 

2)cr  asirt.    -3d)  ncrmutc,  id)  Dermute. 

Sufi  fc^rt  fid)  urn  unb  una  gd)cn.     (geiu  ^icuCV  ! 

®er  SBirt  ^cilt  i^n.    9^id)t  bod),  §err  ^uft ! 

Sufi.    9^un  gut;  nid)t  @cin  !4)iencr! 
10     Xtv  mrU     (St,  §err  ^uft !   id)  wiii  bod)  nid)t  l}offen, 
§crr  -3uft,  ha^  (gr  nod)  uou  gcftern  f)er  bofe  ift?     3Bcr 
iuirb  feincn  3^1'^  i^^^^'  Tiadjt  bel)a(ten? 

Sufi.    3d);  iinb  itber  alk  folgenben  yiMjk. 

Scr  aSirt.    3ft  ha^  d)nftad) ! 
15     Sufi.     (Sbenfo  d)rift(id),  qI^  eiucn  e^r(id)en  93^ann,  ber 
nid)t  g(eid)  be^al)(en  f'ann,  au^  bem  ©aufe  ftoj^en,  auf  bie 
(gtraje  tncvfen. 

^cr  SBirt.    "^fui,  trer  !onntc  fo  gott(o§  fein  ? 

Sufi.     Gin  d)riftlid)er  ©afttnirt.  —  2}^einen  ©errn !  fo 
20  einen  3Dlann !  fo  einen  DW^^  ♦ 

^er  SSirt.  3^cn  ^citte  id)  au§  bcm  ^an^c  geftogcn?  auf  bie 
(^traje  gcmorfcn?  ^aau  I)abe  id)  mi  p  Diet  5(d)tung  fiir 
einen  Dffi^tcr  unb  I3ie(  3U  t^ict  a)tit(cib  ntit  eiuem  abgebanf* 
ten!  -3d)  I)abc  il)m  au§  9^ot  ein  anbcr  3nnmer  einrdumen 
25  mitffen.  —  'i^cnfc  Gr  nid)t  mel)r  baran,  §crr  Quft.  (Er  ruft 
in  bie  (Scene.  §o(la !  —  -3d)  tDilF^  auf  anbcre  35?^eife  uneber 
gut  niad)en.  (Sin  3unge  fommt.  :53ring  ein  @Iaed)en;  §err 
3uft  wiii  ein  ®(di^d)en  f)abcn,  unb  \m^  @ute§ ! 

Suji.     93tad)e  (Sr  fid)  feine  932iil)e,  $crr  3Sirt.     ^^^er 
30  ^Tropfen  foil  ,^u  ©ift  merbcn,  ben  —  T)od)  id)  \mll  ntd)t 
fd)nioren ;  id)  bin  nod)  niid)tern. 

12.  gpf)cfcr  4,  26. 


erfter  ^ufjug.     S^citer  luftritt.  "l^ 

XtV  SBtrt  ?u  bem  Sungen,  bcr  eine  g-Iafc^e  i!iqueur  unb  ein  ®la5  brtngt. 

®ieb  ()er ;  get) !  — ^3hm,  §crr  3uft,  ina^  gan^  Dortrcff(id)Ci5, 
ftarf,  lieblid),  gcfunb.  (£r  fuUt  unb  rcid)t  it)m  ju.  'X^a'^  faim 
einen  itbcmadjten  aJlatjcn  luicber  in  Orbuung  bringen  1 

Sufi.    :^alb  biirfte  id)  nid)t ! ^od)  wavnm  foil  t^   5 

tneiner  ©efuubl)eit  ^cine  (^robl)eit  cntgelten  laffen?  — ©r 

nimmt  unb  trinft. 
^er  mxt.    2i^oI)(  befomm'^,  §err  Qn^t ! 

Sufi  tnbem  er  ba^  ®ld3d)cn  wicber  juritcfgiebt.  5^id)t  iibcl !  — 
5Iber,  .Qcrr  Sirt,  (5r  ift  bod)  ciu  ©robiaii !  10 

^cr  asirt.  ^}cid)t  bod),  nid)t  bod) !  —  (^cfd)n)inb  nod)  ein§ ; 
anf  ciuem  iBcinc  ift  nid)t  gut  ftet)en. 

3ufl  nad)bem  cr  getrunfen.  ®a§  mu^  id)  fagcn  :  gut,  fel)r 
gut !  —  (gctbft  gcmad)t,  gerr  Sirt?  — 

^er  SBirt.    iBct)iite !  Deritabter  ^anjigcr !  cd)ter,  boppet=  15 
ter  Sac^^ ! 

Sufi.  @iel)t  (5r,  vgcrr  SKirt,  n)enn  id)  r)cud)ctn  !onntc,  fo 
n)iirbe  id)  fiir  fo  \m^  I)cud)ctn  ;  aber  ic^  fann  nid)t ;  e^  mug 
rau§  —  (5r  ift  bod)  ein  ©robian,  gerr  Sirt ! 

^cr  2Sirt.    3^^  ntcincui  ^^cbcu  l)at  mir  ba^  nod)  niemanb  20 
gefagt.  —  92od)  cin^,  gerr  3uft ;   «^ter  guteu  ^inge  fiub 
brei ! 

;3ufl.  9}2einctU)cgen !  Gr  trtnft.  ®ut  ©ing,  n)a()rlic^  gut 
^ing !  —  5(ber  and)  bie  $^a()rt)cit  ift  gut  3^ing.  —  gerr 
SS3irt,  (Sr  ift  bod)  ein  ©robian !  25 

^cr  SSirt.  333enn  id)  c§  mdre,  initrbe  id)  ba§  tr>of)I  fo  mit 
an^oren? 

Sufi.    O  {a,  benn  fetten  ^t  ein  ©robian  ®a(Ie. 

15.  SSgl.  ^oromanbet^  (iibcr  t^n  ^SinngebiAte,  Sui^  II,  9?r.  16)  5?eBen* 
jiunbiger  Bett^crtrcib  in  3;eutfd)cn  ©ebtc^ten,  2)an^tg  1747,  ©.  418 :  „T)tx 
.^tamtximbuHrt.  Gin  l^^bgebidu  iiber  bie  gckanntcn  2Baffer  im  Sait^  §u 
l^an.^ig".  (Xac*  Ciiginal  bci^  bcfannten  Cicbe^ :  „^rambambuli,  ba^^  i|l  ber 
3;itet".) 


^er  SBirt.  D^tdjt  nod)  cin^,  §crr  Qu\t  ?  Gtne  t)icrfad)c 
©djnur  I}a(t  befto  bef]ci\ 

^uf}.  5iem,  su  t)icl  ift  3U  Did !  Hub  \m^  Ijilff §  ^^jn, 
§eiT  Sirt?    ^[^  auf  ben  kitten  S^ropfcn  in  ber  gtafdje 

5  iDitrbe  id)  bei  mciner  ^tcbe  bleibcn.  ^^fui,  §eiT  333irt,  fo 
t3nten  Dan3i9er  gu  Ijaben  unb  fo  id)(cd)tc  i^Jcore^!  —  (vinem 
OJMnne  tt)ie  meincm  §errn,  bcr  ^a^^*  ii^^"^  ^119  ^ci  3^m 
geir)ol)nt,  Don  bem  (5r  fd)on  fo  mandjcn  fd)oncn  ^l)alcr  gc^ 
gogen,  ber  in  feinem  ^cben  teinen  ©elier  fd)n(bicj  geblieben 

10  ift ;  iDeit  er  ein  paar  9}Zonate  ()er  nid)t  prompt  be3al)lt,  mil 
er  nid)t  mel)r  fo  oiel  anfc^cljen  lajst,  —  in  ber  5lbtDefenI)cit 
ba^  3toner  aui53nrnninen  I 

2)er  SSirt.  X)a  id)  aber  ba$  3^^^^'^i*  nottnenbig  brand)te? 
'^a  id)  i)oran§fai)e,  baf^  ber  §err  d^lajov  e§  felbft  guttinHig 

15  iDiirbe  gerctumt  ^aben,  luenn  mir  nnr  lange  anf  feine  ^uritd"- 
fnnft  ptten  iDarten  tonnen?  ^o((te  id)  benn  fo  eine  frembe 
§errfd)aft  tuteber  Don  nieiner  3:f)ure  n)egfa()ren  laffen? 
(golite  id)  einem  anbern  SBirte  fo  einen  ^erbienft  mutmillig 
in  hm  9^ad)en  fagen  ?    Unb  id)  gtanbe  nid)t  einmaf,  bag  fie 

20  fonft  wo  nntergefommen  mdre*  '^k  SKirt$I)dnfer  finb  jeljt 
atle  ftcirf  befet^t.  ©oKte  eine  fo  jnnge,  fd)one,  lieben^un'trbige 
'^amz  anf  ber  Strafse  bleiben?  ©ajn  ift  ^cin  .gerr  tne( 
p  galant !  Unb  tnaS  Derfiert  er  benn  babci?  Qabc  id)  if}m 
nid)t  ein  anbere^  3^^^^^"^^^^*  ^^fi^^  eingeranint? 

25     Sufi,   ^inten  an  bein  Xanbenfd)(age;  bie  5J[u§fid)t  ^tuifc^en 

be§  ^tad)bar§  genermanern 

^er  SSirt.  !l)ie  5ln§fid)t  Wax  Wol)l  fef)r  fd)t)n,  el)e  fie  ber 
ticr^uieifclte  9ftad)bar  Derbante.  ©a§  3"^wcr  ift  bod)  fonft 
galant  nnb  tape^iert  — 

1  f.  g.^rcb.  <Ba\.  4,  12.  —  29.  ©alant,  niiPrauc^It*  fiir:  elegant.. 
SS9I.  ©il^tUer,  gBallenjiema  Sagcr :  „5)?an  foUf (^  eud)  ntd)t  anfebn,  il)r  feib 
flalant".    SPrcmcr  Scitriiae.    Ill,  34:^  (©dlcrt) :  „3d)  will  gcrn  fd)led)t  unb 


©rfter  ^luf^ug.     S)ritter  ^uftritt.  TO 

3uft.    (^cire[cn ! 

^er  aSirt.  Tdd}t  bod),  bie  cine  SBanb  ift  e§  norf).  Unb 
©eitt  (Stitbcf)cn  barneOen,  §eiT  3^ft ;  ^ja^  fel)lt  bem  ©titb- 
djen?  (5^  l}at  cincn  ^amin,  ber  ^\mv  im  Sinter  ein  inenig 
raudjt  —  5 

^uff.    Slber  bod)  tm  @ommcr  rcd)t  ^iibfd)  I'd^t  —  ^err, 
ic^  glaube  gar,  (5r  ne^nert  im^  nod)  obcnbrem?  — 
^er  mvt    9iu,  nu,  gcrr  3uft,  gerr  3nft  — 
Sufi.    a)Zad)e  (vr  §err  3uften  ben  f opf  ntd)t  tnarm,  obcr  — 
2)cr  asirt.    -Sii)  inad)t'  il)n  iuarm?  bcr  X)an3ii3er  tfjut  e !  —  lo 
Sufi,    (vinen  Cffisier  iDte  meincn  §crrn!    Ober  metnt 
(Sr,  bag  ein  abcjcbanfter  SDifijier  nid)t  and)  ein  Cffisier  ift, 
ber  Qfyn  ben  ^aU  bred)cn  fann  ?    Sarmn  maret  i()r  benn 
im  li^riege  fo  t3efd)mcibit3,  if)r  §crren  Sirte  ?    Sarum  tnar 
benn  ba  jeber  Dn'tstcr  ein  luiirbiger  d)lamx  nnb  jeber  ^olbat  15 
ein  el)rlid)er,  brauer  ^erl  ?    ^)lad)t  end)  ha^  bipjen  g-riebe 
fd)on  fo  iibemiiitig  ? 
^er  SSirt.    Sa§  ercifert  (5r  fid)  nnn,  ®err  2^\i?  — 
Suft.    Qd)  win  mid)  ereifern. 


2)ritfcr  5(uftritt.  20 

a.  3:cfl^eim.    ^cr  SSirt.    ^ufi. 

U.  ^cK^cim  im  ^ereintreten.     Qn\t  I 

Sufi  in  bcr  SJJeinung,  baO  i^n  ber  2Birt  nenne.     ^uft  ?  —  (So  be* 
!annt  finb  tnir  ? 

red)t  ge'^en,  ttJenn  tc^  ©te  nur  gatatit  fefie".  Slrfttf^e  Scitrcigc.  I,  277 
(^erau^) :  „3u  ben  ®runblcl)rcn  be5  9?cd)treben^  gcBoret  freilid)  bie  5lu^^ 
mufterung  ber  umtiHtgen  unb  oft  mtp^rauAtcn  frembcn  2Bcrtc,  jum  Sjtmpel 
bti  auper  feiner  natitrlid)cn  Scbcutung  hd  %lmn,  Sffen  nub  2;rinfen  u.  f.  w. 
ungcrcimt  augc(n\:d)ten  SBovt^  @alant".  ©ofAe  mad)t  auf  ben  noc^  ge* 
brauc^Uc^en  ^(u^brucE  „®a(antcriewaren"  aufmcrffam. 


80  Winna  'oon  ^axnf)c\m, 

ti.  ZcUWrn.     3uft 

Suft.    Sd)  had)k,  iii)  tpare  tDof)!  §crr  ^uft  fiir  3^n ! 

2>er  SBirt  ber  ben  9)kior  genja^r  wirb.     @t !   ft !    §env  ©err, 

©err  3uft  —  fe^'  dx  fid)  bod)  um;  ©em  ©err 

5       ti.  xmmu    3^uft  id)  glaube,  bu  ganfft?    2Ba§  r)alie  i^ 
bir  befof)(cTi  ? 

^er  SBirt.    D,  ^I)ro  (S^naben!  ^anfen?     '^a  fei  ®ott 
t)or!    3()r  untertljiinigftcr  tned)t  foHtc  fid)  untcrftcl)en, 
ititt  einctn,  ber  bie  @nabe  fjat,  Qljucn  an5UGeI)i)ren,  gu 
10  janfen  ? 

Sufi,    ^^enn  id)  i()m  bod)  ein^  auf  ben  ^aljcnbudel  cjebcn 
blirftc ! 

^cr  sasirt.     (5§  ift  ttial^r,  ©err  ^uft  fprid)t  fiir  feinen 
©crrn,  unb  ein  menig  l]iliig.    5(ber  baran  t{)ut  er  red)t ;  ii^ 
15  fd)atje  il)n  um  fooiel  f)d()cr;  id)  licbe  i{)n  barum.  — 

;3u|i.    !4DaB  ic^  il)m  nid)t  bie  3dl)ne  auc^trctcn  foil! 

^er  SBirt.     'dim  @d)abc,  bag  er   fid)  umfonft  erl)i^t. 
S:)enn  id)  bin  geivig  t)erfid)ert,  bag  3r)ro  @naben  feine  Utt^ 
gnabe  be^iucgen  auf  mid)  cjeinorfen  I)abcn,  mil  —  bie  9tot 
20  —  mid)  notmenbig  — 

tj.  XtUf}e'm.  (Bdjon  3U  t)ie(,  metn  ©err !  Qd)  bin  -gbncn 
fd)ulbig  ;  <Sie  rciumen  mir  in  meiner  5(btt)cfenl)eit  ha^  ^im^ 
mer  au§  ;  @ie  mitffen  be3at)(t  inerben  ;  id)  mug  tr>o  anber^ 
unterpfommen  fud)en.  <Se()r  natitrlid) ! 
25  ^cr  SSirt.  2Bo  anberS  ?  (Sie  n)o((cn  au^jic^en,  gncibiger 
©err?  -3d)  ungUic!lid)er  OJlann!  id)  gcfd)(agner  9}?ann! 
9^ein,  nimmermel)r !  (5()er  mug  bie  T^auie  ba§  Ouarticr 
tDieber  riiumen.  !Der  ©err  ^OZajor  !ann  i{)r,  \mil  i()r  fein 
3tmmer  nid)t  (affen  ;  ba^  3^^^^^^  ^P  \^^^  y  f^^  ^^6  f^i'^ ; 
30  id)  !ann  i^r  nid)t  l)e(fen.  —  Qd)  gel}e,  gncibiger  ©err • 

b.  S^eH^cim.  greunb,  nid)t  ,^niei  bumme  ©trcid)e  fiir  einen! 
I^k  ^amc  mug  in  bem  ^efil^e  be^  ^immerv^  bleiben  — 


erfter  ^ufsug.     SBicrter  ^uftritt.  81 

25cr  SBirt.    Utib  ^tjro  ®nabcn  foKtcn  glauben,  bag  i(^ 

QU^  SJ^iBtrauen,  au«  eorcjc  fiir  mcine  ^c^atjluncj ? 

211^  luenn  id)  ntd)t  tDiigte,  bag  mid)  3()ro  ©nabeu  be^aljleu 

fdnnen,  fobalb  8ie  nur  luodcn. T^o-S  Dcrfiegelte  ^cu== 

telcf)en,  —  fimf()unbert  3:()a(iT  (L^ouic^bor  ftcljt  braiif, 5 

\vcid]t^  3(}ro  ©nabcn  in  bcm  Sdjrcibpulte  ftcljcn  gctjabt,  — 
—  ift  in  guter  i^cnr)al)runt3.  — 

n.  xmdm,  T)a^  mill  id)  fjoffcn,  fo  ti3te  meine  iibricjen 
@ad)en.  —  -3nft  foil  fie  in  (Smpfang  nc()men,  tccim  er  3(}ncn 
bie  9ied}nuncj  bc^aljlt  l)at. 10 

^er  mxt  Sa()v()aftii3,  idj  erfdjva!  rcd)t,  aU  id)  ha^  ^eu= 
teldjen  fanb.  —  Qdj  l)ahz  immer  Q\)xo  ©nabcn  fiir  einen 
orbentlid)cn  nnb  oorfidjtigen  9}Mnn  gcljaltcit,  bcr  fid)  nie^ 

anal^  gan^  au^giebt. 5(ber  bcnnod) tncnn  id)  bar 

@e(b  in  bem  Sd)reibpu{tc  t^ennutct  t)dtte 15 

u.  2eai)cim.  Siirbcn  8ie  ^bflidjcr  mit  mir  t)erfa^rcn 
fein.  Sd)  t)crftcl)c  @ie.  —  @el)cn  8ie  nur,  mein  §crr ; 
(affen  (Bit  mid) ;  id)  l)abe  mit  meincm  ^cbicnten  3U  fprc^ 
d)en. 

^cr  SStrt.    2lbcr,  gndbigcr  ©err 20 

tj.  XcUfit'm.  I^omm,  Quit,  bcr  §crr  wiii  nid)t  erlaubeu, 
tia^  id)  bir  in  feinem  §aufe  fage,  ina^S  bu  t()un  foUft. 

^cr  2Birt.  -3^)  9cl}e  ja  fd)on,  gndbiger  §err !  —  DJ^cin 
ganje^  §au^  ift  3U  O^i'^^  ©ienftcn. 


a>icrtcr  5luftritt. 

ti.  XcUfjcim.    Sufi. 

i^ufl  ber  mit  bem  guge  ftampft  unb  bem  SSirte  nad^fpucft.     *ipfui ! 
ti.  XtWm.    3Ba5  giebt'^? 
Suft.    3d)  crftid'e  Dor  -^o5l)eit. 


82  5Jiinna  Don  58QrnI;cIm. 

n.  Xt^Udm.    ^ci^  unirc  fo  Diel  a(^  an  ^odbUttigfcit. 

Sufi.  Unb  (2ic,  —  Sic  erfennc  id)  nicfjt  mc()r,  mcin 
§ciT.  Sd)  ftcrbc  Dor  3()rcn  5tuc3cn,  lueun  Sie  nicf)t  bcr 
©djul^cncjcl  bicfc^  I)dmifcf)cn,  unbarmijcr^iijcn  9xacfcr^  jinb  ! 
5  3::roi5  ©atgen  unb  SdjiDcrt  unb  9iab  l)dttc  id)  i()n  —  ()dtte 
id)  il)tt  mit  bicfcn  §dnbcn  crbro[[eln,  mit  bicfcn  3^^^)^^^ 
geiTcipcn  luolkn.  — 

ti.  XcUf^tim,    ^eftie ! 

Sufi.    Sicbcr  ^cftic  aU  fo  cin  93tcn[d) ! 
lo      ft.  XtU^t'm,    333a^  midft  bu  aber  ? 

Sufi.  3d)  luid,  bag  @ie  e^  empfinbcn  foKcn,  \mc  fe()r 
man  (Sie  bclcibigt. 

ft.  2:enOcim.    Unb  bann? 

Sufi.    ^aj3  (2ic  fid)  rLxd)tcn.  —  5icin,  bcr  ^'cr(  ift  3I)^tcn 
15  su  gcring.  — 

ft.  XtUt)cm.  (^onbcrn,  bag  id)  e§  bir  auftiiicje,  mid)  ju 
rdd)cn  ?  ©a^  unir  Hon  ^Infang  mein  (S)cban!e,  (gr  I)dttc 
mid)  nid)t  nncbcr  mit  5(ugcn  fc()en  unb  feine  ^c^afjtung  au^ 
beincn  ijtlnbcu  cmpfangen  folfcn.  3d}  ^i-^cig,  bag  bu  cine 
20  §anb  DoU  (^clb  mit  cincr  gicmlid)  iicrdd)tlid)cn  SJticnc  l)in^ 
tpcrfcn  fannft.  — 

Sufi.    (So  ?  etne  t)ortrcff(id)c  9xad)c !  — 

ft.  2cH0ciitt.    ^Ibcr  bie  \mv  no(^  Dcrfd)icbcn  miiffen.    Sd) 
I)abe  fcincn  §cllcr  barci^  ©clb  mc()r !  id)  iDcig  and)  fcinc^ 
25  anf^utrcibcn. 

Su^.  £cin  barc§  ©clb  ?  Unb  ina^  ift  bcnn  ha^  fitr  cin 
^eutet  mit  fiinfljunbcrt  Xljalcr  l^ouii^bor,  ben  bcr  Sirt  in 
-3^rem  Sd)vcibpulte  gcfunbcn? 

ft.  XtU^t'm,    5^a^3  ift  (^ctb,  n)ctd)c^  mir  auf3uf}cbcn  gc- 
30  gcbcn  inorbcn. 

Sufi.  S^od)  nid)t  bic  ()unbert  ^Mftokn,  bie  Ql}ncn  Q'i)V 
alter  Sad)ttneifter  oor  Dier  ober  f  iinf  Sod)cn  hradjic  ? 


erftcr  ^ufgug.     g^unftcr  ^uftritt.  83 

ti.  XtMe'm,  !^ie  namlidjcn,  i3on  'ifaut  Sernern.  Sarum 
nid)t? 

Sufi.  T)iefe  f)akn  @ie  nocf)  ttidjt  gcbraudjt?  3)?cm 
§err,  mit  biefcn  fdnucn  (Sie  macfjcn,  tua^  (8ie  woiim. 
5{uf  meine  i^cranttDortunt3  —  5 

u.  ^ca^cim.    Sal)i1)af tig  ? 

Sufi.  Serner  ^drte  t)on  mtr,  it)ie  fe^r  man  ©ie  mit 
3{)ren  gorberungen  an  tie  ©eneralfricgSfaffe  aufjicljt.  (Sr 
l)drte  — 

ti.  ^ett^eim.  ^ag  id)  fi^crtic^  pm  Settler  mcrbcn  tnitrbe,  10 
menn  id}  ci5  nid)t  [d)on  miire.  —  Qd)  bin  bir  fcl)r  ucrbunben, 
3uft.  —  Unb  biefe  i)tac^vid)t  oermodjte  Serncrn,  fein  tnildjcn 
5(rmut  mit  mir  ^n  teilcn.  —  (5^  ift  mil*  bod)  (icb,  baj3  id)  e^ 
erraten  ()abe.  —  gore,  -3uft,  mac^e  mir  ^ngleid)  and)  beine 
9?ec^nnng  ;  mir  finb  gc|d)iebene  \?eute. 15 

Suft.    2Bie?  Sa^'? 

tj.  2elil()cim.    .^cin  3Bort  mel)r ;  c^  fommt  jemanb.  — 


JJiinfter  5(uftritt. 
C^inc  3Dttme  in  S^raucr.     u.  S^cttOcim.     Sufi. 

®ic  ^ame.    Qd}  ^^^^^  ^^  33er3ei()ung,  mcin  §crr !  —      20 

tj.  2^cU^cim.    2Sen  fnd)cn  ©ie,  9}^abamc  ?  — 

Sic  Sttinc.    (vbcn  hen  miirbigen  SDIann,  mit  melc^em  id) 

bie  (g^re  ^abe  ^n  fprcd)cn.    @ie  fennen  mid)  nid)t  mef)r? 

3d)  bin  bie  s^iBitme  Q1)vc^  el)ema(igen  ©tabvrittmeifter^  — 
D.  XiUf\dm.     Um  be^  gimmet^  miUen,  gntibige  gran!  25 

nie(c^e  i^erdnbernng !  — 
Sic  Same.    3d)  ftc^e  t)on  bem  tonfenbette  anf,  anf  ha^ 

mid)  ber  ®d)mer3  iiber  t^cn  ^erluft  meine§  2)ZanncS  marf. 


84  SJtinna   non  ^^  a  ml)  dm. 

Sd)  mu^  3I)nen  friU)  iK\d}mxiid}  fallen,  §crr  932aior.    3d) 
rcife  auf  ba§  ?anb,  tno  mtr  eine  gittljcrjtge,  ahcx  cbcn 
audj  ntdjt   gUidlidjc   greunbin   cine   5^W^   ^^^^   ^^'l*^^ 
angebotcn.  — 
s       tJ.  XcUf)nm  ju  3uii.    (53cl},  (a^  un^  allein.  — 


Sci^ftct  5luftritt. 
^ic  ^amc.    tJ.  2^efl^eim. 

ti.  ^cU^cim.  Diebcn  (Sie  fret,  gnctbtge  grau!  S3or  mtr 
biirfen  ^ie  fid)  Qi)YC^  UngliidS  nid)t  fd)dmcn.  ^ann  id) 
10  3l)nen  woxin  biencn  ? 

^ic  ^amc.    9}2ein  §err  iD^ajor  — 

ti.  2:eU0cint»  Qd)  bcflage  @ie,  gniibigc  gran!  SBortn 
!ann  id)  3I)^en  bienen?  'Bk  luiffen,  -31)1*  @emal)(  mar 
tnein  greunb  ;  niein  greuixb,  fage  id) ;  id)  luar  immer  farg 
15  mit  bicfem  3:iteL 

^k  ^amc.  2S>cr  tDci^  e§  kffcr  aU  id),  tnte  inert  ©te 
feiner  greunbfd)aft  iDaren,  toie  inert  er  ber  -31)1*^9^1^  ^'^'^^'^ 
@ie  iDitrben  fein  leister  @ebanfe,  Qi}Y  9lamc  ber  let^te  Xon 
feiner  fterbenben  Sippen  gciucfen  fein,  I)atte  nid)t  bte  ftdrfere 
20  ^catnr  biefe^  traurige  i^orred)t  fitr  feinen  nngliidlidjen  ®oI)n, 
fiir  feine  nngUtd(id)c  ©attin  gcforbert  — 

ft.  2!cafjcim.    §oren  ©ie  anf,  DJiabaine !    Seinen  wolitt 

6.  3u  tcr  fc(genbcn  Scene  'cgl,  man  G3cnert^  (Srjd^Iung  ,,'Dcr  arme 
©c()ifrer"  (Sabeln  unb  grja^lungcn,  i^cipjig  1748.    1, 118  ff.),  befonber^: 
D,  fv^rtd)t  5)t)tlct,  {*  fann  mid)  md)t  kftnncn, 
2)a^  id)  btr  jemal5  ©etb  gcUcf)n. 
^ier  ill  mein  9Jcd)nungi?[ntd>,  Id)  mlV^  ^u  Otate  j^ie^n, 
StUein  id)  lucif?  e^  fd)Dn,  bu  fte^eft  nidu  barinncn. 

®er  <Sd)iffcr  ficbt  it)n  an  unb  fdn'Dctgt  betvoffcn  fiifl 
Unb  friinft  fid),  baf^  ^(^ilet  ba^  ©elb  ni;bt  nel)mcn  unll. 


erftcr  ^ufaug.     ©cc^ftcr  ^luftrilt.  85 

ic^  mtt  3I)i^en  cjcrn ;  aBer  id)  I)abc  I)eute  feme  XI)ranen, 
^cifdjonen  @ie  mid) !  8ie  finben  mic^  in  einer  3tunbe, 
\vo  id)  (eid)t  3U  t)er(eiten  iDcire,  tniber  bie  ^ori'id)t  3U  mm*ren. 
—  Or  tnein  rcd)tfd)affncr  aJt'avloff !  @c]'d)ii3inb,  gndbigc 
gimt,  \mi!>  Ijabcn  3ie  ju  befe()(en?  Senn  id)  -3()ncn  3U  5 
biencn  im  Stanbe  bin,  iDcnn  id)  e§  bin  — 

^ie  ^tttnc.  3d)  barf  nid)t  abrei[en,  o()ne  [einen  Icl^tcn 
Siden  3n  Dod^ieljcn.  (Sr  erinnerte  fic^  turj  t)or  fcincm 
(Snbc,  bag  er  a(v5  3i)r  3d)u(bner  fterbc,  nnb  bcfd)n)or  xnidj^ 
bicfc  ®d)n(b  mit  ber  erftcn  ^arfd)aft  ^n  tilgcii,  Qdj  ro 
l)abc  feine  Gqnipacje  cerfauft  nnb  fomme,  fcine  §anbfd)rift 
einjnlofcn.  — 

ti.  XeUl)tm,    $3ic,  cjnabige  gran?  barnm  fommcn  ®ie? 

^ie  ^amc.  !l)arnnt.  (vrtanbcn  8ic,  bag  id)  ba^  ©elb 
anf^iiljfe.  15 

t).  ^ettfjctm.  9tid)t  bod),  ^abame !  9}?arIoff  mir  fd)n(big? 
ba^  fann  fd)n")erlid)  fcin.    i'affcu  8ie  bod)  fe()cn.    (£r  jie^t  fein 

3:afd)enbiid)  f)erau5  unb  ]iid%     Qd)  finbe  nid)t^. 

tit  tame.    (Sic  nicrben  feine  §anbfd)rift  t)er(cgt  !)abcn, 
nnb  bie  §anbfd)rift  t()nt  nid)t^  jnr  ^ad)c.  —  Grfanbcn  20 
(Sie  — 

0.  XcUfidm.  TiciUr  iD^abame!  fo  etnia^3  pffcge  id]  ntd)t  ^n 
tierlegen.  Si^enn  id)  fie  nid)t  ()abe,  fo  ift  e§  ein  ^emei^S,  ba^ 
id)  nie  eine  gel)abt  t)abe,  obcr  ha]^  fie  getilcjt  nnb  t)on  mir 
fd)on  ^nritcfgegcben  uiorbcn.  25 

tic  tame.    §err  Wa\oY !  — 

ti.  3:caOcim.  ©an3  gcnng,  pcibitjc  gran.  [O?ar(off  ift 
mir  nid)t^  fdinlbig  geblicben.  Qd)  \viif,k  mid)  and)  nid)t  ^n 
erinnern,  bag  cr  mir  j,ema(^  ctwa^  fd)n(big  cjcmcfcn  trcire. 
9tid)t  anbcr^,  ?)cabame ;  er  I)at  mid)  ine[mc()r  a(^  feinen  30 
(2d)n(bner  I)intcrlaffcn.  Qd)  f)abe  nie  ctmat-  tl)nn  ft)nncn, 
mid)  mit  einem  SO^annc  ab^nfinben,  ber  fed)^  Qa[)v  ©lud 


86  5P^inna  bon  58arnf)eltn. 

unb  Ungliid',  &jvc  unb  @efa()r  niit  mir  cjeteilt  ^d)  merbe 
e^  nid)t  Dergcffen,  baj  cin  @o()n  t)on  il)m  ba  ift  (Et  tDirb 
tneitt  @ol)n  fein,  fobalb  id}  fein  ^atcr  fcin  fann.  !4)ie  33er^ 
iDtiTuncj,  in  bcr  id)  mid)  lct^t  felDft  befinbc  — 

5  ^ic  ^ttmc.  (Sbelmiiticjer  iDhxnn !  5Uicr  benfcn  ©ic  aud) 
tion  mir  nidjt  ju  flcin.  9icf)mett  @ie  bai^  @elb,  gcrr  SJiajor; 
fo  bin  id)  inenigften^  bcrnf)it3t.  — 

u.  XtUf)t'm,    SaiS  braud)en  (^ie  gn  3D^*er  ^crnl)ignng 
inciter  ali^  mcinc  i>er[id)crnng,  baj  mir  bicfc^  @c(b  nid)t 

10  ge^i)rt?    Obcr  iDoIkn  ©ie,  bag  id)  hk  nncrpgcne  Saife 

meinc^  grennbe^  bcftcl)(cn  foil  ?    iBeftcl)lcn,  9}2abame,  ha^ 

iDltrbe  e§  in  bem  cigcntlid)ften  33crftanbe  fein.     3l)^n  ge- 

\)'6vt  e^;  fitr  il)n  (egen  ®ie  e^  an.  — 

^ic  ^tttnc.    S^J  t)erfte^e  Sie;  t^erjeiljen  (Sie  nur,  menu 

15  id)  nod)  nic^t  rcd)t  ircig,  \mc  man  Sol)ltl)aten  annclimen 

mug.    ^^ol)er  miffen  c^  benn  aber  and)  ®ie,  bag  eine  ^]l\iU 

ter  mel)r  fiir  il)ren  *3ol)n  tl)ut,  al^  fie  flir  il)r  eigen  Ccben 

tl)un  tnitrbe  ?    3d)  gcl)e  — 

ti.  XcUfidm.    ®el)en  @ie,  ^Zabame,  ge^en  (Sie !    9^cijcn 

20  (gie  glltdlid) !  -Jd)  ^^tte  (2ie  nid)t,  mir  9tad)rid)t  Don  3l)ttett 
ju  gcben.  ©ic  mod)te  mir  p  cincr  ^eit  fommen,  n>o  id)  fie 
nid)t  nuljcn  !onnte.  Iber  nod)  ein^,  gnabige  grau ;  balb 
ptte  id)  ba^  SKid)tigfte  nergcffcn.  a}krloff  l)at  nod)  an  ber 
^affe  unferS  el)cmaligcn  9iegiment§  3U  forbcrn.     (Seine 

25  gorberungcn  finb  fo  rid)tig  tr>ie  bk  mcinigen.  Serben 
meine  bc^^al)lt,  fo  mitffcn  and)  bie  feinigcn  bc3al)tt  inerben, 
Qd)  l)aftc  bafiir  — 

^ie  ^ttinc.  O !  mein  §err  —  Slbcr  id)  fd)meigc  lieber.  — 
^itnftige  2Bol)ltl)aten  fo  norbcrciten,  l)eigt  fie  in  ben  Slugen 

30  be§  gimmel^  fd)on  cnnicfen  l)aben.  (Ennpfangen  @ie  fcine 
^etol)nung  unb  meine  3:l)ranen !    ®e^t  ab. 


Crfter  ^ufsug.    ©iebcntcr  unb  ^djtcr  ^u^tritt.    87 
(SieOcntcr  Wuftritt. 

5lrme^,  brat3c§  Scib!    3d)  ii^^B  ^^d)^  t)ergeffen,  ben 

^ettc(  ^U  Dernidjtcn.    Gr  nimmt  au^  feincm  2afd}eitbu*e  Srieffd)aftcn, 
bie  cr  gerretgt.    ^cr  ftel)t  iiilr  bafiir,  ha^  eigncr  SJMntjct  mid)   5 
md)t  einmal  Derkitcn  fdunte,  (^ebraud)  bauon  3U  mad)en? 


5(^ter  §luftntt. 

t).  2:cfl^cittt.    :^tftbuba? 

^ufi  intern  er  fid)  bie  Stugcn  \v\\d)L     ^CL I  10 

H.  2eflOeiw«    S^u  ^aft  geineint  ? 

^ufJ.    -3d)  ^abe  in  ber  Itiidje  meine  D^ec^nung  gc[d)ricben, 
unb  bic  vQiidjc  ift  ood  9iaud).    gier  ift  [ie,  mein  §eiT ! 

tJ.  3:ea^eim.    (^ieb  f)ei\ 

^uft.    .g)aben  ®ie  ^armljcr^igfeit  mit  mir,  mein  §ci'i'-  ^5 
3d)  iDciB  tDoI)(,  bag  bie  2}to[d)cn  mit  3^nen  feine  f)abcn  ; 
aber  — 

D.  ^en^eim.    Sag  nndft  bu  ? 

^ufi.    34  ^^'itte  mir  el)er  ben  Zob  a(§  meinen  5(bfd)ieb 
Dennutet  20 

ti.  ^caScim.  34  "ff^tt^  ^^4  i^^^t  Icinger  braud)en ;  id) 
mu5  mid)  o^nc  ^ebienten  bef)e(fen  (ernem  ©c^tagt  tk  9?ed)^ 
nung  auf  unb  iiei"t.  ,,Sa§  bci*  ©eiT  SJ^ajor  mir  fd)u(big:  I^^ret 
unb  einen  {)alben  d^lonat  \?oI)n,  ben  SOZonat  6  Xf)a(er,  madjt 
21  3^i)aler.  @eit  bem  erften  biefe^  an  ^(einigfcitcn  au^^ge^  25 
(egt  1  Zt)akx  7  @r.  9  'jpf.  (gumma  @ummarum  22  Xl)a(er 


88  5!Jiinna  bon  ^JBarnlf)cIm. 

1  @r.  9  ^f."  —  @ut,  unb  e§  tft  biatt3,  baf^  id)  biefen  Ian- 
fenben  SJtonat  ganj  be^aljte. 

Sufi.    !r)ie  anbere  vgette,  §err  9[J^ajor  — 

ti.  2:cU5etm.  3tod)  mel)r  ?  iHcji.  „Sac^  bent  §errn  dllalov 
5  id)  fd)ulbii] :  2(n  ben  8elb]d)er  fiir  mid)  be3al)lt  25  ^l)alei\ 
gitr  Hjartuncj  nnb  ^^flccje  ipdl)renb  meiner-  ^nv  fiir  mid) 
be3al)(t  39  3:i)a(cr.  a}^einem  abt3ebrannten  nnb  gepUtnber= 
ten  33ater  anf  meine  ^itte  t)ori3e]d)of]en,  ol)ne  bie  ^wd 
^entepferbe  gn  rei^nen,  hk  er  il)m  ge[d)en!t,  50  3:{)alei\ 
10  (Snmma  ©nmmarnm  114  2:()a(er.  5^aiion  abgejogen  t)or= 
fteljenbe  22  3:l)ater  7  ®i\  9  ^>f.  ^(eibe  bem  §errn  SJtajor 
fd)nlbii3  91  3:i)aler  16  @i\  3  ^^f."  —  ^erl,  bn  bift  toIH  — 

^nfi.  Qd)  glanbe  eS  gern,  baj  id)  3f)^en  n)eit  mel)r 
fofte.  5lber  e§  infire  uerlorne  3^inte,  e§  bagn  jn  fd)reiben- 
15  3d)  ton  3i)^en  baS  nid)t  be^aljlen ;  nub  menn  ©ie  mir 
DoUenb^  bie  ii^ioerei  nc()men,  bie  id)  and)  nod)  nid)t  Derbient 
l)abe,  —  fo  inodte  id)  lieber,  ^ie  l)dtten  mid)  in  bem  Sa^a* 
rette  frepieren  (affen. 

t).  XiWm.     SKofiir  fiel)ft  bn  mid)  an?    ^n  bift  mir 
20  nid)t^  fd)nlbig,  nnb  id)  mid  bid)  einem  t)on  meinen  ^t^ 
fannten  empfc()(en,  bei  bem  bn  e§  beffer  I)abcn  foKft  aU 
bei  mir. 

S«ft.    3^)  ^^tn  3^)^'^^  i^id)t§  fd)nlbig,  nnb  bod)  tnoden 
©ie  mid)  uerftof^cn? 
25      tj.  3^efl^eim.    2Bei(  id)  bir  nid)t§  fd)nlbig  uierben  nnlL 

Sufi,     ^arnm?  nnr  barnm?  —  (Bo  gennj3  id)  -3()^en 

fd)nlbig  bin,  fo  gennj  Bk  mir  nid)t^3  fd)nlbig  merben  fbn- 

nen,  fo  geiri^  foHen  @ie  mid)  nnn  nic^t  Derftof^cn.  — 

Tladjtn  ©ie,  tva^  ©ie  moden,  .^crr  dJlaiov  ;  id)  bleibe  bet 

30  3l)ncn  ;  id)  tnn^  bei  3^)^^^^  bteiben.  — 

tJ.  ^^cttljcim.    Unb  beine  ©artnddigfcit,  bcin  Xro^,  bcin 
inilbc^,  nngeftitme^  333efcn  gcgen  allC;  oon  benen  h\i  tneinft, 


©rfter  ^ufaug.     ^d)ter  ^uftritt.  89 

ha^  fie  bir  ntd)t§  ju  fagen  ^abeti,  beine  titdtfi^e  @d)aben^ 
freube,  beine  ^adjfudjt 

Suf}.  9}lad)en  (Sie  mid)  fo  fd)(imm,  tnie  ©ie  tnoden  ;  id) 
tDill  ^irum  bod)  nic^t  fd)(e(^ter  mn  mir  ben!en  al5  tion 
meinem  @unbe.  i^origen  333inter  ging  id)  in  ber  !Ddmmer*  5 
ung  an  bem  Slanate  nnb  ^orte  etwaS  irinfcln.  3d)  fticg 
l^erab  nnb  griff  nad)  ber  (Stimme  unb  glanbte  ein  ^inb  jn 
retten,  nnb  jog  eincn  ^nbel  an^  bem  Saffer.  5(nd)  gnt, 
bad)te  id).  !Der  ^nbet  !am  mir  nad) ;  aber  id)  bin  fein 
Sieb{)aber  oon  ^nbetn.  Qd)  jagte  it)n  fort,  nmfonft ;  ic^  10 
)3nige(te  i^n  oon  mir,  nmfonft.  Qd)  IieJ3  i()n  bc§  ))}ad)t^ 
mdjt  in  meine  hammer  ;  er  blieb  Dor  ber  3;:[)iire  anf  ber 
(Bdjwtik,  So  er  mir  jn  nat)e  !am,  ftieg  id)  i[)n  mit 
bem  guje ;  er  fd)rie,  fa()e  mid)  an  nnb  inebelte  mit  bem 
(Bdjwanie,  ^lod)  ^at  er  feinen  ^iffen  ^rot  an§  meiner  15 
§anb  befommcn  ;  nnb  bod)  bin  id)  ber  einjige,  bem  er  I)ort, 
nnb  ber  il)n  anrii()rcn  barf.  (Sr  fpringt  oor  mir  f)er  nnb 
mad)t  mir  feine  ^iinfte  nnbefof)Ien  oor.  (S§  ift  cin  ()a6(id)er 
^nbe(,  aber  cin  gar  jn  gnter  gnnb.  Senn  er  e§  Idnger 
treibt,  fo  ^i)re  ic^  enb(id)  anf,  hen  ^>ubetn  gram  gn  fein.        20 

ft.  ^cfl^eim  bei  ®eite.    (go  mie  id)  if)m  1    9tein,  e^  giebt 

fcine  oiJKigen  Unmenfd)en ! S^ft  ^^i^'  hUihcn  Ui^ 

fammen. 

Sufi,    ©anj  getni^ !  —  @ie  mottten  fid)  o^ne  ^ebientcn 
bel)e(fen?    ®ie  oergeffen  SD^'tv  :Q3(effnren  nnb  ha^  (gie  25 
nnr  eine§  tones  mdd)tig  finb.    @ie  fdnnen  fid)  [a  nid)t 
allein  anfteiben.    Sd)  bin  -3()nen  imentbef)rlid)  nnb  bin, 

o^ne  mid)  felbft  jn  rli^men,  §err  932ajor  —  id)  bin  ein 

^ebienter,  ber  —  tr»enn  ba§  (Sd)iimmfte  jnm  (Sd)(immen 
fommt,  —  flir  feinen  §errn  bettetn  nnb  ftc^Ien  fann.       3° 

ft.  XtUf^tm,    3nft  if  ir  bteiben  nid)t  beifammen. 

Sufi.    (gd)on  gut ! 


90  5!Jfinna  t)on  5:80 rnl) elm. 

9ltm\kv  5(uftritt. 

(^in  93ciiienter.     U.  XcU^cim,    ^ufJ. 

^er  95cJ)icnte.    ^^ft !    ^amerab ! 
Sufi.    Sa§  i3tebfv5  ? 
5       ^er  Scbicntc.   liann  (Sr mir  nidjt  ben  Dffister.nadjtDeifen, 
ber  geftern  nod)  in  bicfem  ^^^nnicr    5iuf  eincd  an  ber  ©eite  ad- 

gcnb,  ^on  tt,>c(d)er  cr  I)er!5inmt.     gcUiol)nt  I)at  ? 

Sufi.    ^a§  biirftc  id)  Icid)t  !onncn.     Sa§  bringt  (5r 
it)m  ? 
10     ^er  SBciJientc.   S[Ba§  irir  immer  bringen,  tnenn  \mv  nid)t^ 
bringen  :  cin  Compliment.    ^JZeine  §crrfd)aft  l)oi%  t>a^  er 
bnrd)  fie  Derbrilngt  morben.     3)2eine  gerrfd)aft  nieig  jn 
Icben,  nnb  id)  fod  i()n  bcv5fa((^  um  i^er3ci()nni3  bitten. 
Sufi.    'Jcnn,  fo  bitte  ©r  il)n  nm  S3er3eii)nnt3  ;  ba  fteljt  er. 
15      ^cr  Sctiicnte.    Sa^ifter?    Sic  nennt  mnn  i()n? 

t).  3^eflljcim.   Wlcin  grennb,  id)  I)abe  (Snern  5(nftrag  fd)on 
gel)ort.    (S^  ift  cine  iibcrfliiffige  @of(id)!cit  t)on  Gnrer  §err^ 
fd)aft,  bie  id)  erfcnne,  mic  id)  foil    Wadjt  xljv  meincn  (Jm- 
pfel)(.  —  SBie  l)ci]lt  CS-nre  §crrfd)aft  ?  — 
20     ^er  JBcbtcntc.     Sie  fie  I)eij3t?    <Sie  Idgt  fic^  gncibige^ 
grilnlcin  ()ci|en. 
ti.  2:eli(ljcim.    Unb  il)r  gamitienname  ? 
^cr  ^cbicttte.    !4}cn  I)abe  id)  nod)  ntd)t  gel)ort,  nnb  ha^ 
nad)  ^n  frac3en,  ift  meine  (Sad)e  nid)t.    Qd)  rid)te  mid)  fo 
25  ein,  baf5  id)  meiftenteit^  alte  fed)§  Sod)en  eine  nene  gerr^ 
fd)aft  I)abe.    !t)er  $en!er  bel)a(te  ade  il)re  DIamen!  — 
Sufi.    ^rat)o,  Camcrab ! 

®er  SciJtcntc.     3^  ^^^f^^*  ^^^^  ^i^)  ^^*ft  ^^"^^  tvcnig  ^at3cn 
in  Trc^ben  gefommen.     <Sic  fud)t,  glanbc  id),  ()ier  il)rcn 
30  ^rcintigam.  — 


(Srfter  ^ufsuQ.     ^e  (;nter  ^uftritt.  91 

ti.  XtUfitm-  ®enug,  mein  grcunb.  Ten  Dtamcii  (Juror 
gerrfdjaft  moUte  id)  wiffen,  aber  nidjt  iljre  (S)cl}timuii]c. 
®e^t  nur! 

^cr  Scbicnte.    ^amerab,  ha^  irdre  !etn  §err  fur  mic^ ! 


Scljutcr  5tuftritt.  5 

t).  xmtim.    Sufi. 

ft.  ^cU^eim.  9}^ad)C,  3uft,  :nad)e,  bag  lt)ir  au§  bicfem 
gaufe  fommcn !  Tie  goflidjteit  ber  frembeu  Tame  ift  mir 
empfinbtic^er  a(^  bie  (^rob(]eit  be§  SSirtiJ.  gier,nimm  bicfeu 
9^ing,  bie  ein5it3e  toftbarfeit,  bie  mir  ubrig  ift,  nou  ber  id)  10 
trie  i3Ci](aubt  I)atte,  eineu  foldjen  ©ebraud)  3U  mad}cu !  — 
^tv']c^c  i()n !  Iaj3  bir  adjtsig  griebridj^^b'or  barauf  geben ; 
bie  ^edjuung  be^  Sirt^  faun  feine  breij^ig  betracjen.  ^e= 
ga!)(e  i()n  unb  rciume  meiue  Sad)eu  —  Qa,  moljia  ?  —  2S>o= 
l()in  bu  luiifft  Ter  tt)ol)(fci(fte  @aftI)of  ber  befte.  Tu  foUft  15 
mid)  l)icr  nebenan  auf  bem  £affeel)aufc  treffcn.  3d)  9c()e ; 
madjc  beine  3ad)e  gut.  — 

Sufi.    (Sorgcn  3ie  nidjt,  §err  Tlalov !  — 

t).  %tUf^t'm  tmmt  iDiebcr  juriicf.  ^ov  alkxi  Tiugeu,  ba^  meine 
^iftolen,  bie  l)inter  bem  -^ette  gc()angen,  nidjt  Dergcffen  20 
njcrben. 

Sufi.    S^  ^^i^t  ^W^  tiergeffen. 

t).  2;cfl^cim  fommt  nc*mai«  ^uriic!.     ^lod)  ziu^ :  nimm  mir 
and)  beinen  ^ube(  mit ;  Ijorft  bu,  Quit !  — 


92  ajlintta  bon  !!8arnl)elm» 

m\kv  5luftritt. 
Sufi. 

!Der  ^ubel  mirb  ni(i)t  priicfbletbcn.  ^afitr  (a[f'  ic^  ben 
^ubel  forgcn.  —  §m !  auc^  ben  foftbaren  9^mg  ^at  ber 
5  ©err  no^  ge^abt  ?  Unb  trucj  t()n  in  ber  Za\d)c  anftatt  am 
.  ginger?  —  @nter  Sirt,  wk  finb  fo  fa()(  nod)  nid)t,  a(§  \mv 
fd)einen,  ^ei  i^m,  bei  i^m  felbft  mill  ic^  bic^  Derfet^en, 
fd}oned  9?ingeldjen!  -3d)  mci^,  er  (irgcrt  fid),  bag  bu  in 
jeinem  §aufe  nid)t  gan^  fodft  Der^eljrt  lucrbcn !  —  W)  — 


10  SmBlftcr  toftritt. 

^aul  SBerner.     Sufi. 

Sufi.  (8ie^  ha,  ^^erner !  guten  ZaQ,  Serner !  n)i((!om^ 
men  in  ber  'Btaht ! 

SSerncr.  T)a§  t)ernninfd)te  ©orf !  -3^^)  fann'§  nnmog(id) 
15  iuieber  gewoI)ne  merben.  ^^nftig,  f  iiiber,  Inftig !  ic^  bringe 
frifd)e§  @e(b !    ^o  ift  ber  maiov  ? 

Sufi.  (Sr  mug  bir  begegnct  [ein  ;  er  ging  eben  bte  3:reppe 
l)erab. 

SBerncr.  3^  !omme  bie  ©intertrcppe  I)erauf.  9lun,  tuie 
20  gcl)t'^  i()m?  Q^  ipcire  fd)on  t)orige  Sodje  bei  end;  geiijefen; 
aber  — 

15.  „®caiol)ne"  ift  m\\  Unrcd)t  in  ben  mciften  Sru^^gaf^en  in  „gctrot)nt" 
flecinbert  »orben.  3n  Berlin  ift  ber  Slu^brucf  nod)  ie&t  »olfi3tumlic^  (ygl.  ben 
3^cfrain:  „5)ietfd)  i^  bc^  fd^on  jc»ri3l)ne/' al«  3f{eiin  i;u  j  o^nc).  „®cWDl)n" 
cmd)  in  |)emv^elc  Scffing^^lu^gnbe  XI,  1,  T77.  T'eutfd)e  9)anbora  1840,  ©. 
68  (9iii(tert) :  „^cm  iui0civol)nen  Sc^nee", 


(^rftcr  ^vUf3UG.     Snjolftcr  ^uftritt.  93 

Sufi.    9^un?  n)a§  t)at  bicf)  abgel)a(tcn?  — 

SBcrner.    Quit,  —  l)aft  bu  Don  bem  ^vinscn  gerafUu^ 
ge^ort? 

:3ufl.    ©era!(iu§  ?    Qd)  tt)UBtc  nicljt 

SBerncr.    .^ennft  bu  ben  Qvo^cn  gelben  im  9}2orgcnIanbc  5 
nidjt  ? 

Sufi.    !4)ie  SS>ei[en  au^  bent  9)2or9en(anbe  fenn'  id)  mol)!, 
bie  um^  9teuial)r  mit  bem  Sterne  (}crumlaufcn. 

SSerncr.  9}Zen[dj,  id)  glaube,  bu  liefeft  eben  fo  iDcnig  bie 
3eitungen  aU  bie  ^ibe(?  —  ©u  !ennft  ben  ^rin,^  §erat"liu§  10 
nic^t?  ben  brazen  DJ^anu  nidjt,  ber  "^erfien  treggenommen 
unb  ncidjfter  Za(\c  bie  ottomani[d)e  'ipforte  einfprengen  luirb? 
@ott  fei  3}anf,  bag  bod)  nod)  irgenbiDO  in  ber  Selt  ^rieg 
tft !  S^  ()abe  (ange  genug  geI)offt,  e^  fottte  ()ier  irieber  (o^- 
ge^en.  5lber  t)a  fil^en  fie  unb  f)ei(en  fid)  bie  ^aut,  9tein,  15 
(golbat  mar  id),  (Solbat  mug  id)  mieber  fein !    ^urj,  — 

Snbem  er  fi(^  fc^uditern  umfie^t,  ob  i^n  iemanb  be^orc^t.     tm  ^ertraueu, 

3uft,  id)  ujanbere  nad)  '^^erfieit,  um  untcr  (Sr.  ^onig(id)en 
§o^eit  bem  ^rinjen  geraftiu^  ein  paar  gelbjiige  luiber  ben 
2^iirfen  3U  mad)en.  20 

Sufi,    ^u? 

SBcrner.    Qd),  wk  bu  mic^  I)ier  fie!)ft!  Unfere  33orfa^ren 
gogen  fleiBig  iniber  hen  !^iirfen,  unb  ba§  foKten  mir  noc^ 
t^un,  menu  mir  el)r(id)e  ^er(§  unb  gute  (I{)riftcn  mdren. 
grei(id)  bcgrcife  id)  moI)(,  ha^  ein  5e(b3ug  mibcr  hen  Znrkn  25 
ni^t  I)a(b  fo  (uftig  fein  !ann  al^  einer  tniber  ben  gransofen; 

2.  $erafltu3  I.,  Sntgcnoffe  f^rtebrtd)^  bc5  ®rc§cn,  ma^tt  f{($  1747  \?on 
ber  pcrftfiten  Dbcr^okit  fvci,  fcit  1760  SiMq  ■oon  gvinj  Ct"t==®eprgtcn.    2?gl. 

V.  droncgfo  2Bcrfe  I,  368,  Seipjig  1760:  Argante ,  s'eifor9ant  de  tirer 

Belise  de  son  ^vanouissement,  liii  fait  le  recit  d'une  bataille,  oil  le  Prince 
Ileraclius  vient  de  battre  le  Sophi  de  Perse.  —  8,  3>gt.  2Bunbcrf)0rn, 
^empcla  3tUi^g.  II,  331  f.,  519  ff.  —  ©rimmel^^aufen  I,  286. 


94  W  inn  a  "oon  ^-8  a  r  n  I)  c  I  m  . 

aber  bafiir  mug  er  and)  befto  t)erbicnftlid)er  fetn,  in  biefetn 
unb  in  jcnem  Cebcn.  ^ic  ^^iulen  Ijaben  bir  aik  (ScibelS 
init  ^iamantcn  he\ci^t  — 

^nfi.    Uiii  mir  Don  [o  etncm  (Silbet  hm  ^opf  fpalten  jn 
5   lafi'cn,  retfe  id)  nidjt  etne  9}tci(c.    ©it  U)trft  bod)  ntdjt  toll 
fciit  nnb  bctn  fdjoneS  ©djnlscngcrtdjte  i^crlaffcn  ?  — 

SBerncr.    D,  ha^  ncl)me  id)  mil  I  —  9}?erfft  bn  ir»a§  ?  — 
S)a^  (^iitdjen  tft  t)er!auft 

Sufi,    ^erfauft? 
10     aScrncr.    (^t !  —  l)icr  finb  Ijnnbert  ©ufatcn,  bie  id;  gef= 
tern  anf  ben  ^auf  bcfommcn  ;  bte  brincj'  id;  bem  SJtajor  — 

Sufi.    Unb  iDtiS  foil  bcr  baniit? 

aScrncr.  Sac^  er  bamit  foil  ?  S3er3cl)ren  foil  er  fie,  t)er' 
fpielcn,  Dertrinfcn,  t)cr  —  mie  er  luilL  '^cv  9}2ann  mu§ 
IS  ®elb  l)aben,  nnb  e§  ift  fdjlcdjt  genng,  bag  man  il)m  ha^ 
feinige  fo  faner  niadjt!  Slber  idj  unigtc  fdjon,  iDaS  id) 
tljcitc,  tDenn  id)  an  feiner  (Btdk  incire !  Qd)  bddjte :  ^of 
end)  l)ier  alle  ber  gcnfer!  niib  ginge  mit  ^aul  SBernern 
nad)  ^^erfien !  —  -^lil^^ !  —  bcr  ^rinj  gcraflin§  nmg  la 
2o  niol)l  Don  bem  9}^a{or  ^cllljeim  geljort  l)aben,  mcnn  er  and) 
fd)on  feinen  geitiefenen  SSad)tmcifter  *i)3aul  Serncrn  nid)t 
fennt.    Unfcre  ^Iffaire  bci  htn  ^alienl)anfern  — 

Sufi,    ©oil  id)  bir  bie  er3dl)len  ?  — 

2.  Scfftng^^  JloIIcftancen  s.  v.  Ocmmen.  IV.  25on  bcr  5lrt,  fie  m  fc^neibcnt 
„1}icfcr  grunltc!)e  Stein  (5Igtf^cin),  ber  in  bie  Dlivenfar^e  fcillt,  unb  aua  bem 
bie  %Mcn  unb  ^''olen  SiibclgrifTe  niad)en,  ijl  rocit  I)arter  aU  ber  9Icbat  unb 
3afpi^  unb  fann  Mc§  burt^  ben  (5tid}cl  unb  !I)iamantftau^  gcarbcitct  ircrben." 
— 14.  9ln  (£6crt,  ben  7.  Wlai  1770 :  „3n^funftige  fann  id)  tai  ©etb,  bag  id) 
fonfl  auf  23iid)cr  ivanbte,  ^cr— .  9Ba§  nieinen  ©ie,  voa^  ic^  fdueiben  n'toflte? 
^ertrinfcn?  ^crfpiclcn?  ^cr^urcn ?  —  ©abrtid),  i*  njclltc  fd)reiben,  »ergra  = 
Itn."  —  22.  (5eit  ©nbe  9Ipri(  1760  lagcrte  bag  Kcutltfdie  <£)ccr  girifdnm 
©d^Iettau  unb  ben  ilafi^entuiufcrn  unb  ^atte  ^ier  im  ©ommer  ein  ®efcd)t  mit 
®aun. 


Grfter  ^ufjug.     Stuolftcr  ^luftritt.  95 

SBmicr.  ^u  mir?  —  3d)  ^^^^'^^  ^^oI)(,  baj  cine  fc^otie 
!^i^pofition  iibcr  bciuett  ^^crftanb  gel)t.  3d)  ^^id  meine 
^^erlen  nidjt  uor  bie  ^^ciue  uicrfcn.  —  Xa  nimm  bie  l)unbcrt 
^ufatcn ;  gieb  fie  bciu  DJ^ijor.  eage  il)m,  er  fod  mir  and) 
bie  auf()cl)cm  3d)  wuj3  jcljt  auf  ben  iDcarft ;  id)  t)abe  jinei  5 
Sinfpc(  9^ocfen  (jerein  ge[djid"t ;  \m^  id)  barau^  Ibfe,  fann 
er  g(cid)fad^  ^abcn.  — 

Sufi.     Scrncr,  bu  meinft  c^  I}er3(id)   gut ;    abcr  n)ir 
mcigen  bein  (^e(b  nid)t    -53e()a(te  bcine  ^ufaten,  unb  bcine 
l^unbcrt  'ipiftolen  fannft  bu  aud)  uni3erfc()rt  luicbcr  bcfoni^  10 
men,  fobalb  aU  bu  n^idft. 

SBcrncr.    (So  ?  I)at  benn  ber  Tlalov  nod)  ®e(b  ? 

Sufi.    5cein. 

SBerner.    gat  er  fid)  wo  n)e(d)c§  geborgt? 

Sufi.    ^?lein.  15 

SBerner.    Unb  iDOOon  Icbt  tl)r  benn  ? 

Sufi.    Sir  (affen  aufc^reibcn,  unb  inenn  man  nid)t  meljr 
anfd)rciben  n>id  unb  un§  ^um  §aufe  Ijerauvioirft,  fo  i^er- 
fet^^en  wiv,  \va^  \m  nod)  ()aben,  unb  ^icljen   lueiter.  — 
§ore  nur,  'ipaul,  bem  Sirte  l)ier  miiffen  luir  einen  *ipoffen  20 
fpicten, 

SBcrner.    §at  er  bem  SO^ajor  \va^  in  hen  Seg  gelegt  ?  — 
3d)  bin  babei !  — 

Sufi.    3Bie  n3ar%  n^enn  mir  if)m  bc§  5Ibenb§,  menu  er 
au^  ber  Xabagie  !c)mmt,  aufpaf^tcn  unb  il)n  brat)  burd)-  25 
priigetten  ?  — 

SBcrncr.     !De§  5Ibenb§?  —  aufpa^ten?  —  tt)rer  ^tuet 
einem?  —  ^a§  ift  ntd)t§.  — 

Sufi.    Dbcr,  locnn  inir  t^m  ba^  §au§  itber  bem  ^opf 
anftedten  ?  —  30 

2  f.  ?D?attt\  7,  6.  —  6,  ©infpet,  Qct^rdud^ltc^er :  SBifpel,  ein  ©etrei* 
bcmap. 


96  5Jiinna  t)on  SBarnf)eIm. 

33Bcrncr.  (Sengen  imb  bremten  ?  —  <^er(,  man  ^brf ^^ 
hai  bu  "^Pacf fnedjt  gctucfen  bift  uub  nidjt  ©olbat ;  —  jjfui ! 
5lber  iDa^  ^aft  bu  benn  ?    Sa§  gicbt'5  bcnn  ? 

S«fl.    <^omm  nur,  bu  [ollft  bcin  Sunber  l)dren  I 
5       28erncr.    @o  ift  ber  !^eufel  tt)ol)l  l)icr  gar  (o§  ? 

Sufi.    3a  iuol)(,  fomm  nur ! 

aSerner.    ^e[to  bcffcv!  9tacf)  $crficn  aIfo,nadj  ^erfien! 


Qufciicv   ^ttfjitg* 


drftcr  ^luftritt. 

2)ie  Scene  ijl  in  bent  3immer  bci3  {?raulein0» 
Wmna  tjon  aSarn^elm.    SranjiSfa. 
^08  i^riiulcm  tm  9?cgliG<^,  md)  i^rer  ll^r  fe()cnb.     gratt^l^fa,  W'lV    5 

fiub  and)  fct)r  friil)  auftjeftaiiben.    3^ie  ^cit  iuirb  un^  lancj 
tDcrben. 

granjtsfo.  Scr  faun  in  ben  t^crjmetfcftcn  o^ogcn  (Stcibtcn 
fd)lafen?  T;ie  ^aro[]cn,  bie  9kd)titiddjtcr,  hk  Xrouuucfn, 
bie  ^at^en,  bie  ^orporal^  —  ba^  I)ort  nid)t  anf  ju  raffcin,  10 
p  fdjreien,  ^u  nnrkln,  ju  mancn,  sn  Pud)en,  gerabc,  aid  ob 
bie  5^ac^t  ju  nid)te^  iDenit^cr  wcire  aid  gur  ^u^c.  —  (iine 
^affe  X()ce,  pdbiijcd  griiulcin  ?  — 

^og  ??raulcin.    !4^cr  ^I)cc  fd)mccft  mir  nid)t.  — 

^^ranjtgffl.  -3^^)  ^^^^^  tion  nnfercr  @d)ofoIabc  madjcn  laffcn.  15 

^08  i^riiulcitt.    ^a^  mad}cn,  fiir  bid) ! 

gronjigftt.    giir  mid)  ?    -3d)  tnollte  ebcn  fo  gern  fitr  mid) 
ndcin  planbent  aid  fiir  mid)  allein  trinfcn.  —  greilid)  mirb 
und  bie  ^dt  fo  lang  tnerbcn.  —  3Bir  uicrbcn  nor  tanker 
$}cile  und  pu|en  mitffen  unb  bad  ^(eib  t)erfud)cn,  in  uictd)cm  20 
tx»ir  ben  crftcn  ^tnrm  gcbcn  tnollcn. 

®tt§  ^riiulcitt.    Sad  rcbeft  bn  t)on  (Stiirmcn,  ba  ic^  blog 
()crfommc,  bie  v*paltung  ber  ^apitnlation  p  forbern?^ 

Sranjiffo.    Unb  ber  @crr  Offi^ier,  ben  mir  nertrieben, 


98 


53^  i  u  n  a  'oon  58  a  r  a  I)  e  ( ni . 


unb  bcm  \mv  ba^  ^omplhnent  bariiber  marfjcn  (affcn,  cv 
mug  and)  nxdjt  bie  fcinfte  l^eben^art  I)aben,  fonft  (jiitte  er 
trotjl  urn  bic  (I1)ve  fonncn  bitten  Ia[]cn,  un^  feine  ^uf^ 
ipartung  madjcn  gu  bitrfeiu  — 
5  ^00  grdulem.  @^  finb  ntcf}t  alk  Dffijtere  XcHIjcim^. 
®ie  Sal)rl)eit  su  fagcn,  id}  licg  i()m  ba§  ^ompUmcnt  aud) 
blog  madjen,  urn  (^clegenljeit  ^^u  ()abcn,  mid)  nad)  biefem 
bci  il)m  in  erfunbigen.  —  granji^fa,  mcin  §01*3  fagt  e^ 
mir,  bag  meine  ^eife  gliitflic^  fein  iDirb,  ha^  id)  il)n  fin- 
10  ben  merbe.  — 

^rttn;5i§f a.    !4}a§  §er3,  pcibtge^  graulein  ?    9J2an  traue 

bod)  ja  fcincm  gcqcn  nid)t  ^u  Dtcl.    :4}a§  §er3  rebet  un§ 

getnaltig  gern  nad)  bent  9}2aule.    Seun  ba§  9JZau(  eben  fo 

geneigt  \mvt,  nad)  bem  5er3en  3U  reben,  jo  wavt  bie  2}Zobe 

15  Icingft  anfgefommen,  bie  a)Mu(er  unterm  (Sd)(offe  3n  tragcn, 

Xa§  ^t'mkin,  §a !  l)a !  mit  beinen  3}^aulern  untenu 
(Sd)lol'fc !    '^k  9}^obe  iDdre  mir  eben  red)t ! 

i^ranjigftt.    Sieber  bie  fd)onften  Sai)\K  nid)t  ge3etgt,  a(§ 
alle  5lngenb(i(fe  ha^  ger3  bariiber  fpringen  laffen! 
20     2a§  ^tttulcin.    2Ba§?  bift  bu  fo  3urucfl)altenb  ?  — 

grtttijigfo.  9cein,  gnabigeS  grdulcin  ;  fonbern  id)  modte 
e§  gent  mel)r  fein.  Man  fprid)t  feltcn  oon  ber  ^^ugenb,  bie 
man  l)at,  aber  bcfto  bfter  oon  ber,  bie  un§  fe()(t. 

^00  Stiiwicitt.     @ie()ft  bn,  gran3i§fa?  ha  l)aft  bu  cine 
25  fe^r  gute  ^Inmcrfung  gemad)t.  — 

^ronjigfo.  (S5emad)t?  ):jJlad)i  man  ha^,  lt)a§  etnem  fo 
einfadt  ? 

Xa§  i^riittlcin.    Unb  ireigt  bu,  inarum  id)  eigent(id)  biefe 

23.  5pg(.  ^effing  im  12.  Cttteraturkief  (33b.  7  son  Seffing^  SBerfen): 
„Tik  d^riftliite  SicUgion  ifl  M  bcm  |)crrn  SBicIanb  immcr  baa  britte  2Brrt. 
—  5}?an  ^''vaMt  oft  mit  bem,  roai  man  gar  nic^t  ^at,  bamit  man  e«  wenigften^ 
iu  laben  fcl)cine," 


3ttDeiter  ^Jluf^uQ.     ©rftcr  ''Kuftritt. 


99 


^Inmerfung  fo  tjut  finbe?     @ie  \)at  otcl  ^C3ic()uni3  auf 
meinen  Jellljemu 

,lrttnjigfa.  ill^a^  f}dtte  bet  3()ncn  nid)t  auc^  ^e^teljung 
auf  t()n? 

^a§  griiulein.    grcunb  imb  geinb  fagen,  bag  er  ber  tap-  5 
ferfte  iDtann  uotx  ber  Selt  ift.     ^ber  tner  f)at  il)n  oon 
3:a|3ferfcit  jeuuil^^  rcbcu  ()bren  ?    Gr  I)at  ba6  redjtfdjaffenfte 
§er3,  abeu  9icd)t|d)affeul)eit  unb  (ibelmut  fiub  ilBorte,  bie  er 
nie  auf  bie  S^^W  briugt. 

gronji^f 0.    i>on  tt)a^  fiir  ^ugeuben  fpridjt  er  bcun  ?         10 

^og  graulcin.  (^r  fpridjt  uon  teiner ;  beun  t(}m  fe^tt 
feme, 

Sronjigftt.    ^a§  moKte  id)  nur  Ijcircu. 

^a§  ^xmUin,    2S>arte,  gransi^fa,  id)  befinne  mid),    dv 
fprid)t  fcl)r  oft  Dou  Ofouomie.    Qrn  ^crtrauen,  granji^fa,  15 
i^  glaube,  ber  Mam  ift  ein  iserfd)meuber. 

granjigfa.  Tiod)  eiu§,  gmibigc^  griiulcin.  -3^)  ^^^^  if)tt 
aud)  fet)r  oft  ber  3:reue  uub  ^eftdubigfcit  gcgeu  Sic  er^ 
ipdt)ucu  I)oreu.  Sie,  U3enu  ber  §err  aud)  ein  glattergcift 
in  are?  20 

^tt^  Stttuleitt.  !4)u  Uui3liicf(id)e !  —  5Iber  meinft  bu  ba^ 
im  (Ernfte,  gran^i^fa  ? 

i^ranji^fo.  'E^k  (aucje  ^at  er  -3()nen  nun  fd)on  nid)t  ge^ 
fd)riebcn  ? 

^o§  Stttulein.    5(d) !  feit  bem  grieben  ^at  er  mir  nur  ein  25 
ein^^ige^  Mai  gefd)rieben. 

i^ronjigfo.  5(ud)  ein  Seuf;^er  tniber  ben  grieben  I  2[Bun= 
berbar !  ber  griebc  foKte  nur  baC^  53ofc  nneber  gut  madjen, 
ba^  ber  ^rieg  geftiftct,  unb  er  ^crriittct  and)  ba^  @ute,  \va^ 
biefer  fein  ©egcnpart  ctma  noc^  oerantaBt  l)at.  !4^er  griebe  3° 
fodte  fo  eigenfinnig  nid)t  fein !  —  Unb  mie  (ange  l)aben  toiv 
fc^ott  griebe  ?    T^ie  ^dt  wirb  einem  gemattig  lang,  n)enii 


100  5Jiinna  Don  ''^axnt)clm, 

e§  fo  iDcntg  ^ccuigfetten  giebt.  —  Umfonft  gcl)en  bie  ^oftcn 
iDtcber  rtd}tii3 ;  ntemanb  fdjvcibt ;  bemi  nicmanb  I)at  \va^  gu 
fdjrcibcn. 

Xa§  i^rtiulein.  (v^  ift  grtebe,  fc^rieb  er  mix,  unb  id)  ndljcre 
5  mid)  ber  (5rfuUunL3  meiuer  Simfdjc.  2(bcr,  ba^  er  mtr 
biefe^  nur  eimnal,  nur  em  einstgc^  ^Mai  gefd}rieben  — 

gronji^fo.  —  ^ag  er  un^  S^^ingt,  bicfcr  (irfiiUunc;  ber 
3Biuifd)c  fclbft  entgcgen  3U  eilcu ;  fiubcn  luir  il}n  nur,  ba^ 
foU  er  un^  entgeltcn!  —  $i>enn  iubc^  ber  5JMnn  bod) 
10  3[Blmfd)e  erfiillt  ftcitte,  unb  wiv  erfit^ren  f)ier  — 

^00  5?rttulem  dngftud)  unb  Wq.    l^ag  er  tot  Wave? 

gronjigfa.  giir  @ie,  gnabigeS  graulein,  in  ben  5(rmen 
einer  anbcrn.  — 

^ttg  ^riiulein.  'Ln  Qudlgctft !  Sartc,  gran^i^fa,  er 
15  foil  bir  e^  gebenfen!  —  !^od)  fdjmal^e  nur ;  fonft  fd)(afen 
iDir  trieber  etn.  —  (Sein  Regiment  nmrb  nad)  bem  grteben 
;^errt[fen.  Ser  tt)ei6,in  ineldje  l^enrirrung  t»on  D^kdjunngen 
unb  "Dcadjtnetfungen  er  baburd)  geratcn?  Ser  u^ei^,  3U 
iDcIdjcm  anbern  9xegimente,  in  iDcIdje  entlcgenc  ^^roDin^ 
20  er  t)crfel3t  inorben  ?  2Ber  lueigr  lueldje  Umftdnbe  —  (5^ 
pod)t  jcmanb. 

granjigfa.    geretn ! 


gmcitcr  5luftritt. 

^er  SBirt.     ^ic  SJorigcn. 

25     ^cr  SBirtben^o^fwranf^ecfcnb.    3  ft  ^^  crlaubt,  meiue  gnd- 
bigc  §crrfd)aft?  — 
i^ranji^fa.    Unfer  .gerr  Wnt?  —  Tim  DoIIenb^  herein. 
5Der   SBirt  mit  einer  ^eber  Winter  bem  D^re,  ein  33latt  ^a'pm  unb 

(S(^reiejeu6  in  ber  |)rtnb.     Qd)   fomnic,    gncibiged   grautein. 


Sweiter  "^ufjug.     3n)citcr  ^uftritt.  101 

3^ncn  einen  untcrt{)dntgcn  gutcn  93^orgen  ju  tinmfcf)en,  — 
Bur  g-vanjiv^fa.   uTib  and)  Qi)v,  tiieiu  fdjone^  k'mh,  — 

^^ranji^fa.    (Sin  ()ofIidjer  3}2ann ! 

Xa§  ^vdnltin.    Sir  bebanten  un^, 

gronji^fo.  Unb  iDiin]d}en  34"^  ^lit^)  citien  pten  ^Dcorgen.   5 

^cr  SBirt.  ^arf  id)  mid)  unterfte()en  3U  fracjjen,  mt 
3i)vo  ©naben  Uc  crfte  i)tad)t  unter  meinem  |d)led)ten  l^adjt 
gerul)t  ?  — 

i?rttnjigfa.  ^a^  ^ad)  ift  fo  fd)(cd)t  nid)t,  gerr  Sirt ; 
aber  bie  ^etteti  fatten  fonnen  beffcr  fein.  10 

^er  SSirt.  3Ba^  I)orc  id)?  ^Dtid)t  ipo()(  gcru()t?  ^kU 
teid)t,  biiB  bie  gar  3U  groje  Srmiibung  Don  ber  9iei]"e  — 

^a§  ^Ydnhin,    (v§  fann  fein. 

^er  mtt.     ©eiDig,  gemig !   benn  fonft 3nbe^, 

foHte  etit)a§  nid)t  noKtommen  nad)  3()ro  ©naben  ^eqnem=  15 
ltd)feit  geinefen  fein,  fo  gern()en  -3l)ro  ©naben  nnr  ^n 
befet)(en. 

^ran]i§ta.  @ut,  §err  Sirt,  pt !  2Bir  finb  and)  nid)t 
blcibe ;  unb  am  menigften  muj3  man  im  ®aftt)ofe  biohc  fein. 
3Bir  mollen  fc^on  facjen,  tt)te  xviv  e§  gem  ()dtten.  20 

^cr  SBirt.    §icrndd)ft  !omme  id)  sugfeid)  —  Snbem  er  bie 

^cbcr  t)tntcr  bem  Dbre  »or|^tc^t. 

^ranjigf  tt.    3cun  ?  — 

^er  asirt.  Df)ne  3^^^tfe(  fennen  ^\)vo  ©naben  fd)on 
bie  tDeifen  3Serorbnnngen  unfrer  'poti3ei.  25 

^a§  Sraulein.    9tid)t  im  geringften,  gerr  Sirt.  — 

^et  asirt.    Sir  Sirte  finb  angeiDicfen,  feinen  Jvremben, 
we^  ©tanbeS  unb  ©cfd)(ed)t^  er  aud)  fei,  Dierunb^man^ig 
©tunben  ^u  be{)aufen,  oI)ne  feinen  Stamen,  §eimat,  (Sfiaraf- 
ter,  l)iefige  @efd)dfte,  Dermut(id)e  !5^auer  be§  5Iufentl)a(t"3  30 
unb  fo  u-teiter  gc()origen  Drti^  fd)rifttid)  ein5ureid)en. 


1 02  ^JJi  i  It  n  a  Don  53  a  r  n  I)  e  I  m . 

Ser  Bivt.    SD^'o  @nabcn  irerben  alfo  [id)  gefaKcn  laffen. 

3nbem  cr  an  eiuen  Zi^d)  tritt  unh  \id)  fcrtig  mad)t  ju  fd)rei6en. 

^a§  S-riiuIein.     @el)r  gern.  —  3^^)  l)ci6s  — 

^cr  SBirt.  (Sinen  f[emen  5(ugenblt(f  ©ebulb !  —  ev  fc()reibu 
5   rr^ato,  ben  22.  ^luguft  a.  c.  alU)ier  ^um  ^onige  Don  <Spanten 
angelangt"  —  '}^nn  Dero  Dcamen,  gnabige^  granlein? 

2)a§  f^riiulein.     '^a^  grdulcin  Don  :53arnl)ehn. 

^cr  fBivt  fdmibt.     ,,t)on  ^arn()e(m"  —  ^ommenb  ?  iDO- 
^er,  gnabigeS  granlein? 
10     ^tt§  i^riiufein.    ^on  mcinen  ©Ittern  au§  ©adjfen. 

^cr  asirt  fd)rcibt.    ,,®iitcrn  au§  @ad)fen"  —  Slu§  @ad)' 
fen !  (51,  ei,  an§  @ad)fen,  gnabtgc^  grdulein  ?  an§  (Sad)]'en? 

i^ran^isf tt.  ^;)cun  ?  uuirum  nid)t  ?  (:v^  tft  bod)  idoI)!  l)icr 
in  Vanbe  feme  (Siinbe,  au^  (Sad)fen  jn  fein? 
15  ^cr  SSirt.  ©ne  @iuibe  ?  -53cl)iite !  ha^  tndre  ja  eine 
gan3  neue  (Sitnbe !  —  5{u§  ^ad)]en  alfo  ?  ©,  ei !  an§ 
®ad)fen !  ^a§  Uebc  (2ad)fen  1  —  SIber  mo  mtr  rcd)t  tft, 
gndbigc^  grdulein,  <2ad)fen  ift  ntd)t  !(ein  unb  l)at  mel)rere 
—  tuie  foil  id)  e§  nenneu?  —  T:'iftrifte,  *»I3rot)in3en.  — 
20  Unfere  ^oli^ei  ift  fct)r  ej:aft,  gndbige^  grdulcin.  — 

^a§  ^vmUin.     3d)  oerfte{)e :  t)on  meinen  ©ittern  au§ 
^^itringen  alfo. 

2)cv  SBirt.    5(n§  3:biiringen !  '  3a,  ba§  ift  bcffer,  gnd^ 

bige§  grdulcin,  ba§  ift  genaner.  —  ©djrcitn  unb  liejl.    „T)a^ 

25  grdulcin   oon  -Q3arnl)e(nt,  fommenb    Don   it)ren    ©iitern 

an§  3:i)iiringenr  nebft  einer  ^ammerfran  nnb  s^ei  ^e^ 

bienten"  — 

granji^fa.    Giner  l^ammcrfran ?  ba§  folt  id)  mot)(  fein? 

^cr  SBivt.     Sa^  "^^^^^^^  fd)oiie§  f  inb.  — 
30     ,^<ran5i0fa.    5tnn,  gerr  SBirt,  fo  fel^en  (Sic  anftatt  tam= 
merfran  5!amnterjnngfer.  —  3d)  ()dre,  bic  '^^oli^ei  ift  fel)r 
ep!t ;   eS  mod)te  cin  ajtijoerftdnbni^  gcbcn,  MKidjcQ  mir 


Sttjeiter  ^u  13119.     Stt^eitcr  ^luftritt.  103 

bet  memem  5Iufgebote  einntal  §dnbel  macfjcn  fiinnte.  Tenn 
id)  bin  iDirflid)  nod)  3unt3fer  nnb  (jctgc  ^-ran^i^fa,  mit  bent 
@efd)[ed)t^namen  Sillicj,  gran^^ii^fa  Sitlig.  3d)  bin  anc^ 
au§  3^()iirinc3cn.  ^JJtein  l^ater  mar  IDtiiUcr  anf  einem  t)on 
ben  ©iitern  be§  ijnabic^cn  g-rimlein^.  (S^  Ijei^t  ^(cin=  5 
9iamm^borf.  ^ie  3}^id)lc  ijat  jct^t  inein  ^rnbcr.  Qdj  fam 
fc()r  jnng  auf  ben  §of  nnb  marb  mit  bem  iinilbigcn  grdnlein 
cr30i3en,  Sir  finb  Don  cincm  ";?llter,  fiinftiQe  !L'id)tmc§  cin= 
unb^tDan^ii]  3al)V-  3d)  t)^"i^ic  a((e^  gclcrnt,  lua^  ba§  pabige 
grciulein  gckrnt  ()at.  (S:^  foil  mir  lieb  fein,  iDenn  mid)  bie  10 
^oli3ei  red)t  fennt. 

^cr  SSirt.  (3vit,  mein  fd)dne5  ^inb,  ha^  tv'iit  id)  mir  anf 
lueitcre  Dtad)frai3e  inerfcn.  —  5(ber  nnnme()r,  cjndbige^  grdn= 
(ein,  ^ero  i^crrid)tnnt3en  al[f)ier?  — 

^tt§  i^riiulein.    SDh'inc  ^crrid)tnngen?  15 

^cr  SBirt.  8ud)cn  3^i*o  ©naben  etma^  bei  be§  ^onig^ 
SJ^aicftdt? 

^a§  ^vdnkin.    O  ncin! 

^cr  SSirt.    Obcr  bei  nnfern  ^o^en  3#t3foI(egii§  ? 

^a§  ^vmkin.    %ndj  nid)t.  20 

^er  SBirt.     Cber  — 

^ttg  I'VrouIcin.  9tein,  nein.  S^)  ^^i^  lebiglid)  in  meinen 
etgcnen  ^(ngclegcntjciten  ()ien 

^cr  SSirt.  ©an]  tnol)!,  gndbigeS  grdnfcin ;  aber  inic 
ncnnen  fic^  biefe  eit3enen  5Inge(egenl)eiten?  25 

2a§  ^rdulcin.  (gie  nennen  fid)  —  gran3i§!a,  id)  gtanbe, 
unr  tucrbcn  ucrnommcn. 

Sronji^fa.  *perr  3Birt  bie  *f  oli^ei  nnrb  bod)  nid)t  bie  (S3e^ 
f)eimniffe  eine^3  ?vrauen3immer^  3n  miffen  nertangen? 

®cr  SSivt.     5(((erbing§,  mein  fd)one^  ^inb,  bie  '^o(i3ei  30 
tDitt  a(Ie§,  atk^  miffcn,  nnb  befonber§  @e()eimniffe. 

^tttitjisfo.    3a  ^^^r  ondbigeS  grdnlein,  \va^  i\t  3n  tf)nn? 


104  ajJinna  t)on  58orn!)eltn, 

—  (So  ^oren  @ie  nur,  §err  Strt ;  —  aber  bag  c§  ja  utiter 
un§  unb  ber  ^o(t3ei  bteibt !  — 

Xa§  ^xduUin,    3Ba§  tcirb  t^m  bie  ^}tdrrm  fagen? 

gronjigfo.     SiHr  fommeur  bem  ^onige  einen  Dfftjier 
5   lDCi]3ufapern  — 

ier  SBirt.    3Bic?  tt)a§?    aj^ein  f  inb !  inctn  tinb ! 

granjigftt.  £)ber  un$  tion  bem  Cjffi^icre  fapern  ^u  (a[fen. 
^eibe^  ift  em§. 

Xa§  ^x'mk'm,    gransl^fa,  btft  bu  toll?  —  gcrr  Strt,  bte 
10  5^afenir>ci|c  t)at  iSic  3um  bcften. 

^er  SSirt.  3d)  tuill  ntdjt  l^offen !  3^^^^'  ^^it  memer 
Scntgfett  fann  fie  jdjer^en  fo  utel  fie  will ;  nur  mit  einer 
l)o()cn  '^oli^ei  — 

^00  ,lfrouIein.  StBiffen  (gie  tra§,  §err  Sirt?  —  ^^d) 
15  tt)eij3  mid)  in  biefer  (Badjc  nid)t  ^u  nc^men.  -3^)  bddjtc, 
©ie  liegen  bie  gan^e  @d)reiberci  bi^  auf  bie  5(n!unft  meineS 
D()eim§.  3d)  ^fii^^  3i)tten  fd)on  tjefteru  gefagt,  luarum  er 
ntd)t  mit  mir  gugteid)  angefommen.  (Sr  ncrmigUid'te  jtDci 
0}^eilen  t)on  l)ier  mit  feinem  SSageu  unb  wollk  burd)au§ 
20  nid)t,  bag  mid)  biefer  3^^f^^^  ^^ue  ^lac^t  mel)r  foftcn  foKte. 
3d)  mn(3te  alfo  Doran.  Senn  er  t)ieruub5ir)an3ig  ©tunben 
nqd)  mir  eintrifft,  fo  ift  e§  ba§  l^dngfte. 

2)er  SBirt.  ^}tun  [a,  gndbige^  grdulein,  fo  wolkn  wix  il)n 
ertDarten. 
25  Xa§  i^roulein.  dv  inirb  auf  Ql)vc  gragen  beffer  ant= 
tnortcn  fonnem  (ix  tnirb  miffen,  mm  imb  mie  tneit  er  fid) 
3U  entbcden  ^at,  ma$  er  non  fcinen  @efd)dften  anjeigen 
mug,  unb  tna^S  er  bauon  Derfd)n)eigen  barf. 

^er  aSirt.    ^efto  beffer !   greilid),  freilid)  faun  man  oon 
30  einem  jungcn  3}cdbd)cn    T)k  %xar\0ta  mit  eincr  bebcutcnbcn  Went 
nnfcbenb.    nid)t  ocrlangeu,  "i^a^  e§  eine  crnftl)afte  ^adjt  mit 
ernftl)aften  ^^euten  ernftl)aft  traftiere  — 


StDciter  ^ufsug.     Sioeiter  ^tuftritt.  105 

^tt§  i^raukin.     Unb  bie  3in^^cr  fiir  tl)n  finb  bod)  in 
:^ercitid)aft,  §eiT  Sirt. 

^er  SKtrt.    ^^olUi],  Giidbitje^  grdulcin,  t)oI(tg,  bi^  auf  ba^ 
etnc  — 

^ron^i^ftt.    5(u5  bcm  Sic  ine((eid)t  and)  nod)  erft  cinen   5 
el)rlid)en  'Mann  Dcrtreibcn  miiffcn  ? 

^cr  SSirt.    X)k  ^aminerjuncjfcrn  an§  Sad)]'en,  t3nabige^ 
grdulein,  finb  mo{)(  fcf)r  mitlcibicj  ?  — 

^tt0  f^rttulcin.    :4^od),  gerr  Sirt,  ba^  ^aben  Ste  nid)t 
gnt  gcmad)t.  !^ieber  l)dttcn  Sie  nn^  nid)t  einne()nien  fotlcn.  10 

®cr  aSirt.    SSie  fo,  t3nilbii3ei5  griiutcin,  luic  fo  ? 

^a§  ^xdntdn,    3d)  i:)bre,  bag  bcr  Cffisieiv  nje(d)er  burc^ 
un§  tierbrdngt  m  orb  en.  — 

^er  mixu    3a  nur  ein  abcjebanfter  Dffisier  ift,  gndbige^ 
grdntein.  —  15 

^o§  groulcin.    5Benn  ]'d)on !  — 

^cr  SSirt.    DJ^it  bem  e^  ^n  (Snbe  gc()t.  — 

^aB  ^raulcin.    !i^efto  fd)(immer !    Q-i  \oii  ein  fe^r  ux- 
bicntcr  DJtann  fcin. 

^er  BirU    3d)  fage  3f)Hen  ja,  ha^^  er  abgebanft  ift         20 

^ttg  griiutcin.     ^er  ^bnig  !ann  nid)t  a((e  Dcrbicntcn 
3)tdnner  fcnnen. 

^cr  SSirt.    O  gciuig,  er  !ennt  fie,  er  fennt  fie  ade.  — 

^a§  ^riiulein.    So  !ann  er  fie  nid)t  atle  be(oI)nen. 

^cr  SBirt.  Sie  uniren  ade  befobnt,  menn  fie  banac^  ge^  25 
Icbt  Ijiittcn.  5(bcr  fo  lcbtcn"bic,*ocrrcnnu1f)renbc^3  .Qricgc^?, 
al^  ob  eiiiig  ^ricg  b(cibcn  miirbc,  al^  ob  ba^  bein  nub  niein 
eiDig  aufi}e(]oben  fein  tDiirbe.  3^^^^  liegen  alle  2Birt§I)dnfer 
..nnb  (55aft()ofe  t)on  t^nen  t)ofl,  unb  ein  Sirt  (]at  fid)  woU 
niit  it)nen  in  adjt  jn  nc()men.    3d)  ^^ii^  i^it  biefcin  nod)  fo  30 

25  f.  ?8gl.  (Sterne,  ?)cnK^  emtftnbfame  9tcife,  ?n?annbctm  1780.  I,  38.  — 
27.  23gl.  (Sd^tflcr^  23riefmcd)fel  mit  Sotta,  ®.  202  :  „tt)a^rcnbem  (Einpacfen," 


106  5[Jtinna  Don  ^43 ami; elm. 

imnM)  uicggcfommcn.  .^Mtc  er  g(cicf)  fcin  (i^clb  meljv,  fo 
l)attc  cr  bod)  nod)  (^clbcSiucrt,  unb  jiDct,  brci  ^Dtonatc  l)dtte 
id)  i()n  frcilid)  wod)  ruljicj  fonncn  fitien  (affcn.  ^odj  bcffcr 
ift  bcffcr.  —  ^propoi5,  pabitjc^  grdulcm,  (gtc  Dcrftcljcn  fid) 

5  bod)  auf  3mw^icn ?  — 

^ag  griiulein.    Tddjt  fonbcrlid). 
^er  mvL    3Ba^  foatcn  3l)ro  @nabcn  nid)t?   ^c^  mufe 
3^^ncn  cincn  ^limj  scit3cn,  eincn  foftbarcn  9img.     ^mar 
gndbigciS  grdulcm  I)abcn  ba  aud)  ctucn  fc()r  fd)dncn  am 

10  gmQcr,  unb  fc  mcl)r  id)  tl)n  bctrad)te,  je  mcl)r  mu§  id)  mid) 
iDimbcrn,  ha]^  cr  bcm  mciuigcn  fo  dljulid)  ift.  —  D I  fel)cn 

©ie  bod),  fcI)CU  ®ie  bod) !      Snbcm  cr  iijn  ai\^  bcm  %umxal  ^erau^- 
nimmt  unb  bem  graulein  jureic^t.     SBcM)  cin  gcucr !   bcr  mittclfte 
^rillanl  alkiu  micgt  iiber  fiinf  ^axat 
1$     ^a§  g-raulciu  U)n  ktrad)tcnb.    ^0  bin  id)  ?  \m^  fcl)'  id)  ? 
:4^icfer  9iing  — 

^cr  SBirt.    3ft  fcine  fiinf3cl)nl)unbcrt  3:()alcr  unter  :^rit^ 
bern  inert. 

^o§  ^roulcin.    granji§!a !  —  ©ie^  bod) !  — 
20     ^cr  mii.    3d)  ^1^^^^  wid)  and)  nid)t  cincn  ^lugenbtid 
bebad;]t,  ad)t3ii]  ^nftolen  barauf  an  tci()cn. 

^tt§  g-tttukiit.    Grfcnnft  bu  il)n  nid)t,  grnn^i^^h? 

??ronji§fo.    "I^cr  ndmtid)c !  —  ©err  Sirt,  mo  I}abcn  @ie 
biefcn  ^Rinot  Ijcr? 
25     ^er  SBirt.    9^un,  mcin  ^inb?    ©ic  t)at  bod)  mo{)(  Mn 
^ed)tbaran? 

??ranji§fa.     Sir  fcin  ^icd)t  an  bicfcm  9iingc?  — -Sn- 
mdrtv^  auf  bcm  taftcn  mu^  bcr  grdutcin  ncrsogcncr  5lame 
ftefju.  —  Scifen  (Sic  bod),  grdulcin. 
30     Xa§  ^riiulcin.    &  iff §,  er  iff ^ !  —  Sic  fommen  @ic  ^u 
bicfcm  ^lingc,  $crr  SS^irt? 

2cv  mxt    3d)  ?  auf  bic  cl)r(id)fte  2Bcife  t)on  bcr  Selt. 


^toeiter  ^ufsug.     Siociter  ^urtritt.  107 

—  ©iidbtge^  grdulcm,  gndbigc^  grdutcin,  ^ie  luerbeu  mid) 
nidjt  in  ^djabeit  unb  UntjUid:  brincjcn  luolicn?  5H>a§  m\^ 
id),  \m  fid}  bcr  Oiiug  ciijeutlid)  l)iT|d}rcibt  ?  ^^dl)renbc-3 
^riege^  t)at  mandje^  feincu  ^pcrriv  icl)r  oft,  mit  unb  ol)ue 
33orbeir)UBt  bc^  §eiTn,  ueritnbcrt.  Unb  itricg  iDar  ^rieg.  5 
(5^  mcrben  mc()r  O^inge  au^  3adjfen  iibcr  bie  (^rcn^c  gcgan^ 
gen  fein.  —  (^cbcn  5ie  mir  i()n  micbcr,  gndbige^  grduleiu, 
geben  ^ie  mir  il)n  luieber ! 

gron^gfo.    (Srft  geantwortet :  t)on  mm  I)aben  'Bit  il)n  ? 

2)cr  asirt.    33on  einem  SJcanne,  bem  id)  fo  \m^  nic^t  ju^  10 
traucn  fann,  uon  cineut  fonft  gutcn  iDiannc  — 

^o§  ^rdutcin.  ^on  bem  beften  SJ^anne  unter  ber  ^onne, 
inenn  Bk  \i}n  uon  feinem  (EigentUmcr  l)aben.  —  (^efc^tuinb 
bringen  Sie  mir  ben  SJton!  (Sr  ift  e^  felbft,  ober  iDenig= 
ften§  muB  er  il)n  fennen.  15 

^cr  2Sirt.    ^er  benn?  tnen  benn,  gndbtgc§  grdulein? 

^ranji^ftt.    .^bren  Sie  benn  nid)t?  uufern  9)?ajor. 

Xtx  SSirt.  'Maiox  ?  dlcdjt,  er  ift  DJ^ijor,  ber  biefe^S 
dimmer  nor  Qijnnx  bcn)ol)nt  ()at,  unb  t)on  bem  id)  i^n  l)abe. 

2a$  Sroulcin.    Wilaiox  Don  Xe(n)eim.  20 

^cr  SSirt.    53on  Xe((()eim,  ja !    ^ennen  (Sie  tf)n  ? 

2)00  ^raulcin.  Ob  id^  ilju  fenne?  Qy  ift  f)ier?  Xe(I= 
^eim  ift  I)icr?  (Sr?  er  {)at  in  bicfem  ^i^^^cr  getr)ot)nt? 
(Sr!  er  I)at  Qi)mn  biefeit  9iing  nerfet^t?  SKie  !bmmt  ber 
9)Mnn  in  biefe  3?er(egenl)eit  ?    So  ift  er  ?    @r  ift  ^fjncn  25 

fi^utbig  ? gran^5i^?fa,  bie  (Sd)atu((e  ()er !    Bdjiic^  auf ! 

Snbem  \k  %xaniiita  auf  ben  lifd)  fct^t  unb  offnct.      2i>n§  ift  Cr  3^)^cn 

fd)u(big?  Sem  ift  cr  me^r  fd)u(b{g?  bringen  @te  mir 
a((e  feine  Si^ulbner.  gier  ift  @e(b.  §ier  finb  Sed)fel. 
5lto  ift  fein!  "  '  30 

29.  (3*ulbncr.  |)icr  fitr:  ©Idubtger.  SJgL  (Sanbcrd  in  <Sac^cr* 
2)?afoci)^  „?luf  ber  ^o^e".    1, 104  ff. 


108  SJiinna  t)on  Sornljelm. 

2)cr  SBirt.    Saci  l)dr'  id)  ? 
Xas  f^rdulcin.    $i>o  ift  er?  \vo  ij't  er? 
^er  28irt.    i^tod)  Dor  einer  (Etuube  mar  er  Ijter. 
XaB  grdulein.    .gdjsUdjcr  aJtann,  iDie  fonnten  @ie  gctjcn 
5   il)n  fo  unfrcunblid),  fo  l)art,  [o  graufcim  fein? 
2)cr  SBirt.     3()i*o  (^nabcn  ucr^eiljcn  — 
^ttg  grdulcitt.     ©efdjiuiub,   fdjaffen  (8ie  mir  il)n  ^ur 
(Stelle. 
^er  SKirt    ©ein  ^ebtentcr  ift  t)icneid)t  nod)  ^ier.    ^oU 
10  len  31)1*0  ©naben,  bafe  er  il)n  auf|ud)en  fod  ? 

^tt§  grdulcin.      £b  id)  luiU?    (5i(cn  (2ic,  (aufen  <Sie ; 
fiir  bicfen  '4^icnft  allcin  iinti  id)  e§  ticrgcffcn,  luie  fd)lcd)t  (gie 
mit  il)m  uuicjccjanc^en  finb.  — 
granjigfa.    gi^,  §crr  ^Birt,  ()urtig,  fort !    ©t5§t  iU  ^erau^. 


15  2)rittcr  5luftritt. 

^tt§  iVrtiulcin.    i?ranji§fa. 

^a§  ,^raulcin.  9^un  I)abe  id)  it)n  uncbcr,  granji^ta ! 
(Sicl)ft  bu,  nun  I)abe  id)  il)n  micbcr !  3d)  mciB  nid)t,  ido 
id)  t)or  grcubcn  bin !    Sreuc  bid)  bod)  niit,  (icbe  gran^it^fa. 

20  ^bcr  freilid),  marum  bu?  ^od)  bu  foUft  bid),  bu  muf^t  bic^ 
mit  mir  frcucn.  ^omm,  ^'iebe,  id)  wiU  bid)  befd)enfen, 
bamit  bu  bid)  mit  mir  freuen  fannft.  ^\)xid)r  gransi^^fa, 
\m§>  foil  id)  bir  gebcn?  2Ba§  fte!)t  bir  non  meinen  (^adjm 
an?    Sa^  ()atteft  bu  ncvn?    ^Diimm,  n>a^  buunOft;  aber 

25  frcue  bid)  nur,    3^)  1^^)^  tnoljl,  bu  mirft  bir  nid)t^  nel)men. 

SBartC  !     <Bk  fa§t  in  tie  'Bctiatiilk,    ^a,  licbe  gran,^i^!a,    Unb  gicbt 

i^r@eib.  faufe  bir,  tt)a^  bu  gem  I)atteft.  gorbere  met)r, 
menu  e§  nid)t  planiit.  5(bcr  freuc  bid)  nur  mit  mir.  ^-^3 
ift  fo  traurig,  fid)  allein  3U  freuen.    9tun,  fo  ntmm  bod)  — 


^loeiter  5(uf3ug.    iBiertcr  unb  ^iinftcr  ^^uftritt.   109 

^^ranjigfa.  3d)  pcl)(e  e^  GD^en,  graulein ;  2k  flnb 
trunfen,  uon  Si*'-"^l)UcI)tcit  truntcn.  — 

^a§  ^vdnkin.  dMM]c\h  id)  l)abe  eincn  5dnfi[d)cn  9xauid}, 
nimm,   Obei*  —  Sie  mn^  i()r  ba^  ®elb  in  bie  |)anb.     Uub   iDCntl 
bu  bid)  bebanfft !  —  Sarte ;  gut,  ha^  id)  baran  benfe.   ®ie   5 
greift  nDd)maI^  in  bie  ®d)atulle  nad)  ©clb.     5^av5,  (icbc   gran^ivfa, 

fted'c  bci  2citc  fitr  ben  crftcn  blcfficrtcn  anucn  ^olbatcn, 
ber  un§  an[pridjt.  — 

aSiertcr  Stuftritt. 

^er  Sirt.     ®og  ^^tiiulcin.     ^^ranjiSftt.  10 

^a§  ^xdnkin.    Tiun?  inirb  er  fommen? 

^cr  SBirt.    'A^cv  tnibenDartige,  ungefdjliffene  tel ! 

^00  iJraulein.    Scr? 

^cr  SSirt.  @ein  -53ebicntcr.  Sr  ircit^crt  fid),  nad)  il)nt 
SU  i3cl)en.  15 

^ronji^fa.  ^rtnt3cn  2k  bod)  ben  Sd)urfen  I)er.  —  'A^c^ 
2}^ij,or5  ^ebiente  fenne  id)  ja  n)o()(  a((e.  Se(d)er  Wdvt 
benn  ba^3'? 

^o§  iVraukiit.  il^ringen  ^ie  iftn  9efd)Unnb  f)er.  31'enn 
er  un^  iiel)t,  mirb  er  ]d)on  Gel)en.    s^cr  mn  ac^t  ab,  20 


fjiinftcr  5(uftntt. 
^00  griiulcin.     ^ronji^fa. 

^tt0  ^-riiutein.  3d)  ton  ben  ^lugenblid  nid)t  ertnartcn. 
5lber,  gran^i^fa,  bu  bift  nod)  immer  fo  fait  ?  ©u  midft  bid) 
nod)  nid)t  mit  mir  freuen  ? 

g-ronji^fo.    3d)  ii^otUe  t)on  ©er^en  gem ;  wenn  nur  — 


110  SJiinna  bon  ^-Bar nt)elm. 

^a§  ^xmhin.    Senn  nur  ? 

^ransigfo.  Sir  l)aben  bm  SJtamt  iDiebergefunbcn  ;  abet 
H)ie  f)aben  iDir  t(}n  iDiebevgefimbcn  ?  DIad)  allcm,  inaS  mtr 
t)on  il)m  l)oren,  mug  e^  il)m  iibel  cjeljen.  (Sr  muf3  uugUt(f= 
5   ltd)  fetn.    !4^a^  iamincrt  mid). 

^a§  i^raulein.  ^ammcrt  bid)  ?  —  Sag  bid)  bafiir  urn- 
armen,  meine  liebfte  ©cfpielin !  !4^a§  tuid  id)  bir  nie  Der- 
gcffen !  —  Qd)  bin  nur  Derlicbt,  unb  bu  bift  gut  — 


Sc^ftct  5(uftntt. 

10  ^er  SaSirt.    Sufi,    ^ic  SSotigen. 

^cr  SBirt.    SOlit  gcnauer  5^ot  bring'  id)  il)n. 

i^ronji^fo.    (Sin  frcmbco  @cfid)t !    3d)  fcnne  i()n  nid)t 

^00  ^^riiulein.    2Jtein  grcunb,  ift  (Sr  bei  bem  SJ^ajor  Don 
^cai)cim? 
15      Sufi.    3a. 

^00  $?raulein.     SBo  ift  ^Scin  §err? 

Sufi.    md}t  r)ier. 

3a§  ^roufcin.    5Iber  (Sr  mcig  il)n  ^u  finbcn? 

Sufi.    3a. 
20     ^tt§  Sttiulcin.    Sid  ^r  tl)n  ntd)t  gefd)minb  I)crI)o(en? 

Sufi.    9lcin. 

5^00  ??rtturctn.    ©r  ent)eift  mir  bamtt  einen  ©efadcn.  — 

Sufi.     (Ei ! 

^o§  Stttulcin.    Hub  ©eincm  ©errn  einen  !Dienft  — 
25      Sufi.    iHe((eid)t  and)  nid)t.  — 

^a§  i?rou(ctn.    Sol)er  uermutet  Sr  ba§? 

Sufi.    (2tc  finb  bod)  bie  fvcmbe  §errfd)aft,  bte  i^n  bicfcn 
^Zorgen  fompUmcntieren  (affen? 


Sroeiter  ^uf^ug,     ©edjfler  ^^luftritt.  Ill 

^u^.    ^0  bin  id)  ]"d)on  rcdjt. 

Xa§  ^x'ankin,    ^^ei|3  ^ein  §err  metnen  9?amen? 

Sufi»    'Dtein  ;  aber  er  fann  bie  atlju  l)bflidjeu  Dameu  eben 
fo  \r»entg  leiben  ai^  bie  aU3U  groben  Sirte.  5 

^cr  SSirt.    ^a^  foil  wolji  mit  auf  mid)  9el)en? 

Sufi.    3a. 

2)cr  SBirt.    8o  (ag  (gr  e§  bo(^  bem  gndbigen  grdulein 
nid)t  entgclten,  unb  l)o(e  (Er  if)n  gcfd)tDtnb  t)cr. 

Xa§  ijraulcin  ju  ^ranji^fa.    gmn^i^Sfa,  t3icb  i^m  etma^S  —    i<? 

t^ronji^ftt  bie  bem  Suit  ®elb  in  bie  |>anb  briicfcn  iritl.      SSir   Hev- 
(angen  Seine  'S^ienftc  ntd)t  umfonft.  — 

^nft.    Unb  id)  il)r  @c(b  nid)t  ol)ne  S^ienfte. 

i^ran^igftt.    (Sineg  fiir  ba§  anbere, 

Sufi.  -3<^)  ton  nidjt.  Mdn  §eiT  ()at  mir  befo^ten,  15 
auo^uriinmen.  1)a§  tl)u'  id)  jctst,  nnb  baran,  bitte  id),  mid) 
nid)t  meiter  in  t»er!)tnbcrn.  Senn  id)  fcrtig  bin,  fo  mill  id) 
e§  i^m  [a  \voi]i  fagcn,  bag  er  I)erfommcn  fann.  (Sr  tft 
nebenan  anf  bem  l^affccljanfc,  nnb  mcnn  er  ba  nid)tg  -53ef^ 
ferec^  jn  tl)nn  finbct,  tnirb  er  and)  mo()(  t'ommen.     2Bia  20 

fortgekn. 

^ron^igfa.    So  Uiarte  Gr  bod).  —  ^a^  gndbige  grdnlein 
ift  be^3  gierrn  ?3taior^  —  Sd)mcftcr. 

$o§  graulcin.    Qa,  [a,  feine  (Sd)it»eftcr. 

^nfi.  Sa§  mciB  id)  bcffcr,  batl  ber  932ajor  feine  (Sd)n)cfter  25 
l)at.     Qv  ^at  mt(^  in  fcd)t^  9)^onatcn  ^lueimal  an  feine 
gamttie  nad)  .^nrfanb  gcfd)i(ft.  —  ^wav  e$  gicbt  mand)er' 
lei  Sd)mcftern.  — 

^ronji^fa.    Uniierfd)dmtcr ! 

Sufi.    9}^n6  man  c§  nid)t  fein,  mcnn  einen  bie  Seute  3° 
foKcn  gclicn  (affen?    ©e^tai*. 

Syronjilfa.    X)a5  ift  ein  (Sd)(ini3c( ! 


112  9JZinna  bon  ^Bornljclm. 

^cr  SBirt.  Qd)  fagf  e§  ja.  5(ber  (affcn  @ie  iljtt  nur ! 
SeiB  trf)  bod)  numncl)r,  ido  fctn  .gcrr  ift.  ^d)  ^^iW  tl)n 
g(eid)  fetbft  I)o(cn.  —  9?mv  gndbige^  grdutcin,  hittt  id) 
untertl)dniaft,  fobann  ja  mid)  bcl  bcm  .'pernt  iDtqor  ju 
5  entfd)ulbigen,  baj3  id)  jo  ung(itdlid)  gcinefcn,  luiber  meinen 
SBtllen  einen  9}iann  oon  jcinen  ilun-bienftcn  — 

Xa§  ^rottlcin.  @cl)en  ^k  nur  gc[d)unnb,  @cn'  S[Btrt 
!l)a^  iDid  id)  aik^  iDicbcr  gut  madjcu.  ^er  mn  gci}t  ab,  unb 
Iteraur  grauji^fa,  (auf  it)m  nad) :  er  foU  il)m  meinen  Xiamen 

10  nid)t  nennen  1    granji^fa  bem  SSirte  md). 


(SieBcntet  9(uftritt. 

^tt0  Sriiuletn  unb  I)terauf  i^ronjigf a. 

^08  Sriiulcitt.    ^^d)  ()alic  i^n  tincber!  —  ^xn  id)  aMn? 

—  Qd)  wiii  nid)t  uuifonft  atleiu  fcin.     ©ie  fdtet  bie  |)anbe. 

15  5ln(^  bin  id)  nid)t  adein!    unb  Mirft  auf»art§.     (vin  ein^igcr 

banfbarer  ©ebanfc  gen  §immcl  ift  t^a^  DoKfommenfte  ©e- 

bet !  ^  3d)  l)f^b'  tl)n,  id)  {)ab'  il)n  !     Wt  au^gcbreitcten  STrmen. 

Qd)  bin  g(iid(id)!  unb  frol)Iid)!    Sa§  fann  ber  (Sd)tJpfer 

Itebcr  fel)en  a(§  ein  frot]Ud)e§  @efd)ppf !  —  ^ranjt^fa  Ummt 
20  ^ift  bu  mieber  ha^  gran^ii^fa  ?  —  dv  jammert  bic^  ?    Wid) 

fammert  er  nic^t.    Unglitd  ift  and)  gut.     33teUeid)t,  ha^ 

t()m  ber  §imme(  adeS  na()m,  um  il)m  in  mir  olleg  njieber 

3U  gcben ! 
^ronjigfo.    (^r  !ann  ben  ^tngenblid  Iiier  fein.  —  (Ste  finb 
25  nod)  in  -3I)rem  S^eglige,  gndbige^  grdulein.     Sie,  n^enn 

(Sic  fic^  gefd)Unnb  anfleibeten  ? 
^tt§  ^roiilcin.    @cl) !  ic^  bitte  hid).    (5r  tt)trb  mid)  Don 

nun  an  ofter  fo  al§  geput^t  fel)en. 


StDciter  ^ufaitg.     ^cf)tcr  ^luftritt.  113 

^ronjigftt.    D,  ^k  !ennen  fief),  mein  grciulein. 

(^cn,  bu  l)aft  e^^  miebcrum  getroffen. 

i^ronjigfo.    Scnu  luir  fdjon  finb,  finb  mx  ungeput^t  am 
fcfjonften.  5 

^00  $?rttulein.  3}^uf|*eTt  wiv  benn  fd)on  fern?  —  5(ber, 
bag  iDir  uu^  fdjon  gtauben,  war  mikidjt  notinenbig.  — 
9tem,  incnn  id)  il)m,  if)m  nur  fdjon  bin !  —  ^ran^i^fa,  mnn 
aik  WdM)cnii>  fo  finb,  \vk  id)  mid)  jctjt  fiif)(e,  fo  finb  mir  — 
fonberbare  dinger.  —  3^'ii't^i'^  ^'^'^  [^0(3,  tngenbf)aft  nnb  10 
eitel,  inoIUiftig  unb  fromm  —  bu  itiirft  mid)  nid)t  Derftcl)en, 
Qd)  t)crftcl)e  mid)  n)o()(  fetbft  nid)t.  —  T)ie  greube  mad)t 
bre^enb,  unrbiid)t.  — 

Sronjigfo.     gaffen  ®ie  fid),  mein  grautein,  id)  fjoix 
fommen  —  '15 

^a§  ^xdnU'nu     d)Ud)  faffen  ?     -3<^   ]^^kc   if)n   rul)ig 
empfangen  ? 

mtn  toftritt. 

tj.  XtU^dm,    3Der  SSirt.    ^tc  JBorigcn. 
ti.  ^cKl^ettn  tritt  herein,  unb  inbem  cr  fie  crblicft,  flicgt  er  auf  fte  ?u.  20 

5(() !  mcine  '^^tinna !  — 
^a§  ^rdulein  i&m  cntgcgcnfiie^enb.    5(^  !  nicin  Xedfjeim !  — 

b.  ^eK^cim  llufet  auf  cinmal  unb  tritt  iricber  ^uriicf.       ^^cr3Ci{)en 

@ie,  gncibige^  grdulcin,  —  ba^  grdulein  t)on  -53arnl)clm 
t)icr  3U  finben  —  25 

XaS  i^riiulcin.    .^ann  -3^)^cn  bod)  fo  gar  imcrmartct  nid)t 

fcin?  —  3nbem  fie  i6m  ncibcr  tritt  unb  cr  mch  ^uriicfircicftt.      Qd)  fo(( 

3f)nen  tierjeilien,  bag  id)  nod)  3f)re  SOJinna  bin  ?  i^cr^cil)' 
3^nen  bcr  §imme(,  ta^  id)  nod)  bai5  grdulcin  t)on  -^arn= 
I) elm  bin !  — 


114  ^Dfiinno  bon  ^43arnl)elm. 

ft.  ^ePctm.  ©ncibtge^  graulein  —  ®te()t  ftarr  auf  ben  SBtrt 
unb  ^ucft  bie  ©*u(tern. 

Xa§  ^x'dukin  ivirb  ben  2Birt  gett)a|)r  unb  mnU  ber  granjii^fa,   3}?eiu 
©err,  — 
5       1).  I^en^etm.    25>cnn  inir  un^  betberfeit^  nidjt  irrcn  — 

gronjigfo.  3Cr  '&^^'^*  Sirt,  wtn  bringen  (2ic  un§  benn 
ha  ?  ©efdjiuinb  fommen  @ie,  laffen  (Sie  un^  ben  ^edjten 
fud)en. 

2)er  SBirt.    3ft  e§  nidjt  ber  ^edjte  ?    (Et  ja  bod) ! 
10     ^^ronjigftt.    (Si  nid)t  bod) !    ®efd)Unnb  fommen  (Ste !  id) 
l)abe  3l)i'cr  ^ungfcr  3:od)ter  nod)  feinen  guten  SJ^orgcn 
gefagt. 

^er  SBirt.     D  I  Diet  (SI)re  —  SDoct)  o^ne  i^on  ber  (SteUe  ?u  ge^n. 

§ranji§fa  fa§t  t:^n  an.     fommen  ©ie,   iDir   inoden  ben 
15  £ltd)en3ettel  mad)en.  —  Saffen  ^Bk  fe()en,  n)a^  n)ir  I)abett 
njerben  — 

^er  aSirt.    (Sie  follen  "^aben  :  t)or^  erfte  — 

^•ronji^ftt.     8tin,  (a  ftitte!     Senn  ba^  grantein  je^t 

fd)on  n"»eig,  nia§  fie  ^n  OJIittag  fpetfen  fo((,  fo  ift  e§  nm  i()ren 

20  ^(ppetit  gefd)e(}en.     fommen  Bk,  ha^  miiffen  @ie  mir 

allein  fagen.     gii^rt  Um  mit  ©enjalt  aK 


9lcmUt  toftritt. 

ft.  ^cfl^eim.    ^a§  i^roulcin. 

2)tt§  i^roulcin.    9hm  ?  irren  inir  nn§  nod)  ? 
25     ft.  sreH^cim.     3^a6  c§  ber  gintmel  tnoKte !  —  5lber  c§ 
giebt  nur  eine,  nnb  (Bk  finb  eg.  — 

2)a§  ,1frttu(ctn.    3Be(d)e  Umftanbe !     Sa§  tnir  nn6  3U 
fagcn  l)abcn,  fann  jebcrmann  l)orcu. 


^meiter  ^uf^ug.     ^fJeuntcr  ^luftritt.  115 

n.  XtUf}tm,    (Sie  ^ter?    SKa§  fud)en  ®ie  I)icr,  gncibige^ 
gTitulein  ? 

^a§  ivraulein.     Tddjt^  fudjC  id)  mcl)r.    9)?tt  offcnen  5lrmen  auf 
i^  .uige^enb.    5dlc^3,  iDa^S  id)  fud)te,  I)abc  id)  gefunben. 

tJ.  XtUf)t'm  suru(!wetd)enb.     (gie  fud)tcn  cincn  gUid"(id)cn,   5 
eincn  ^i)vzv  !^icbe  miirbigcn  3}cann,  unb  finbcu  —  einen 
(Slenben. 

^tt§  ^rttutcitt.    ®o  (iebcn  ^ie  mid)  nid)t  mcl)r  ?  —  unb 
Uebcn  eine  anbcre? 

ti.  XeUfjtm.    5(1) !   bcr  l)at  ^ie  nie  cjclicbt,  mein  grau-  10 
lettt,  ber  eine  anbere  nac^  31)nen  lieben  fann.^^^'^ 

^a§  ^vmUin,  ®ie  rciBcn  jiur  Gincn  ^tad)c(  au§  meiner 
©eele.  —  3Benn  id)  Qljv  gcrj  ticrloren  l)abe,  n)a§  licgt  ba- 
ran,  ob  mid)  @(cid)i3iltii3fcit  ober  mdd)tigcre  ^ei^e  barum 
gebrac^t?  —  ®ie  lieben  mid)  nid)t  me()r,  unb  lieben  and)  15 
t'cine  anbere  ?  —  Uni3litd"(id)er  9}Mnn,  luenn  @ie  gar  ntc^t^ 
lieben !  — 

0.  Sefl^eim.  9ied)t,  gudbige§  grciulein  ;  ber  Ung(iid(id)e 
mug  gar  nid)t§  lieben.  (ir  nerbient  fein  Ungliid,  tuenn  er 
biefen  ^ieg  nid)t  Uber  fid)  felbft  ju  erl)a(ten  meij  ;  wenn  er  20 
e^  fid)  gefalleu  laffeit  faun,  ha^  bie,  n3eld)e  er  (iebt,  an  feinem 
/  Ungliid  'ilnteil  nel)men  bitrfen.  —  Sie  fd)n3er  tft  btefcr 
^  *^ieg !  —  Seitbem  mir  3>ernunft  unb  ^lotmenbigfeit  be^ 
fe()(en,  iOZiniia  Don  ^arnl)elm  p  Dcrgeffcn,  wa§  flir  5DKiI)e 
l)abe  id)  angewanbt !  Q:bcn  woUic  id)  anfangen  p  ^offen,  25 
bag  biefe  9Jlii()e  nid)t  eung  Dergeben^  fein  iniirbe :  —  unb 
8ie  erfd)einen,  mein  graulcin !  — 

^a§  iyriiulcin.     23erftel)'  id)  (gie  red)t? —  fatten  @te, 
mein  §err  ;    (affen  2ie  fe()en,  ino  \div  finb,  el)e  mir  un§ 
meiter  Derirren !  —  2S>o(Icn  Sie  mir  bie  einjige  gi'^ge  be-  3° 
antmorten? 

t).  ^ca^ctm.    3cbe,  mein  grciulein  — 


116  ?!JlinnQt)on^-8arnI)elm. 

^tt§  Sriiulein.     Si'oGen  ^ie  mir  aurf)  oljne  Senbung, 
oI)ne  SBiufci^ug  antiDorten?    Mit  nidjt^  aU  cineni  trocfucn 
Qa  ober  Dtein  ? 
ti.  Xttif)tim.    3d)  tt>t((  eg,  —  menu  id)  fann. 
5       ^a0  tyraulcin.    ^ie  fdntten  ed.  —  @ut :  o()ngcad)tet  bcr 
2)Hit)e,  bic  ^ie  angmuenbet,  mic^  ju  Dcrgcffcn,  licbm  ^k 
mid)  nod),  3lcUl}cnn? 
tj.  2:cU^cim.    iD^cin  grciulem,  bicfe  grage  — 
^a^  iyrtiulcin.    ^te  \:)abm  Der|prod)cn,  init  nid)t§  aU  3^ 
10  ober  9tein  gu  anttDorten. 

D.  XtUtit'm.    llnb  ^mpgefe^t :  tnenn  id)  !ann. 
/    ^og  l^rttulcin.    (Sie  fonnen  ;  (^te  miiffcn  tniffcn,  uia§  in 
/  3I)rem  ©er^cn  oorgcl)!, —  ineben  ^ic  mid)  nod),  ZdU 

I)eim?  —  -3a  ober  Dicin. 
15     ti.  ^cpcim.    Senn  metn  .ger^  — 
^a§  grdulcin.    -3^^  ober  Taixil 
b,  l^en^cim.    '3(un,  ja ! 
^a§  ^rtiulcin.    3a? 
t).  i:cn^cim.    3«r  itt  I  —  ^llletn  — 
20     ^tt§  i^riiulcin.    (^kbulb  I  —  <Sie  (ieben  mid)  nod) :  genug 
fi^^.  ^{(^^  _  3n  mag  fitr  einen  2:on  bin  id)  mit  3I)ncn 
gefallen !    Gin  Unbrigcr,  me(and)oliid)er,  anftedenbcr  3:on. 
—  3d)  nel)me  ben  meinigen  mieber  an.  —  9hnt,  mein  Itcbcr 
Unnlii(frid)cr,  (2ic  (icben  mid)  nod)  nnb  l)abcn  3t)re  Wmm 
25  nod),  nnb  finb  nngliid'lid)  ?     $)oren  ^k  bod),  wm  Qljxc 
m'mm  fitr  ein  cingcbiibctcg,  alberneg  !4^ing  mar,  —  ift. 
<Bk  lie?,  fie  la^t  fid)  trdnnten,  3^^  G^ttjeg  ©liicf  fci  fie.  — 
@cfd)nnnb,  franicn  ^ic  3^)^*  Ungmd  ang.    (Sie  mag  Dcr^ 
fnd)cn,  mie  nicl  fie  bcffcn  anfmicgt.  —  9to?  ^ 

30     t).  tcumrn.    iDtcin  ^viintein,  id)  bin  nid)t  getDoI)nt  sn 
flagcn. 
2a§  ^xdnUin.    (Sel)r  moI)L    3^)  ^i-^i'^S^c  and)  nid)t,  ma^^ 


Styetler  ^ufaug.    DUunter  ^uflritt.  IH 

mir  an  etnem  'Solbateit  wad)  bem  '$ral)len  incuiger  geficle 
a(e  ha^  fUacjen.  3ibcr  e^  gicbt  einc  QCiniffe  !a(tc,  nacl)ld(]'igc 
iHvt,  Don  fcincr  Xapferfcit  unb  t>ou  feincin  Ungliicfe  ju 
]prcd)cn  — 

t).  2eU^eim.    !^te  im  ©runbe  bod;  and)  gepra()(t  unb  ge^   5 
ftagt  tft 

^ttS  i^raulein.  D,  meiit  9xed)t()abcr,  fo  t)atten  2k  fid) 
and)  gar  uidjt  ungliicfUd)  nennen  follen.  —  &an]  gefc^iuiegcn, 
obcr  gan^  mtt  bcr  3prad)e  l)erauv.  —  (5tnc  il^ernunft,  eine 
^totiuenbigfeit,  bie  ODi^en  mid}  3U  ocrgeffen  beficl)lt?  —  10 
Qd)  bin  eine  groge  IHebljabcrin  oon  iBernunft ;  ic^  I)abe 
fc()r  mi  (S^rerbictung  fiir  bie  ^Dcotwcnbigfcit.  —  5Iber  (affcn 
(gic  bod)  ^orcn,  mc  ocrniinftig  bicfe  l^crnunft,  tt»ie  notnicn= 
big  bicfe  ^Itotiucnbigfcit  ift. 

u.  2:cfl()cim.    2S>ol)(  benn  ;  fo  ^bren  Sie,  mcin  gritufein.  15 
—  vgie  nennen  mid)  5:e(It)eim ;  ber  9canie  trifft  ein.  —  Slber 
(gie  meinen,  id)  fei  ber  3^ein)eim,  ben  3ie  in  3{)rem  ^ater- 
lanbe  getannt  I)aben,  ber  bUif)cnbe  2)tann,  ooller  3Infpriid)e, 
ooUer  9tul)mbegicrbe,  ber  feine^   gcin3cn  ^brperij,  feiner 
ganjen  ^ee(e  mad)tig  mar,  t)or  bem  bie  3d)ranfen  ber  (S^re  20 
unb  be§  ©liicf^  erbffnet  ftanben,  ber  Qt)xci'>  ^er^en^  unb 
S[)x^x  $anb,  mann  er  fc^on  i{)rer  nod)  nid)t  miirbig  inar, 
tdglid)  mitrbiger  ^u  merben  f)offen  burfte.  —  ©iefcr  XdU 
fjcirn  bin  id)  ebenfowenig,  —  a(^  id)  mein  i^ater  bin.  — 
^eibe  finb  gewefen.  —  Qd)  ^itt  !Ie(I^eim,  ber  t)erabfd)iebete,  25 
ber  an  feiner  g^re  gefrdnfte,  ber  triippet,  bcr  Settler.  — 
^enern,  mein  grdulein,  I3crfprad)en  (Sie  fid) :  uiotlen  2ic 
biefem  !il^ort  I)a(ten? 

^a§  Sfriiufcin.    Ta^  ttingt  fc()r  tragifd) !  —  Tod),  nicin 
§err,  biS  id)  jenen  mieberfinbe,  —  in  bie  3^e(n)eim^  bin  id)  3° 
»nun  einmal  Dcrnarrt,  —  biefer  mirb  mir  fd)on  au«  ber  dht 
ll)e(fen  miiffen.  —  Tcine  .^anb,  (icbcr  3^ett(er !    Snbcm  fie  ibn 

bei  bcr  ^anb  ergreift. 


118  5)Hnnat)on^J3arnf)elm. 

ft.  3!efi5fiwi  bcr  bie  anbere  ^anb  mit  bem  ^ute  sor  ba^  ®cftcf)t  fd)lagt 
unb  fid)  von  i!)r  abwenbet.     '^a^  ift  JUDiel !  —  $6o   blu  id)  ?  — 

!i^affen  ^^ie  mid),  grciulem !    -3l)re  ©iite  foltcrt  mid) ;  — 
^affen  (Sie  mid). 
5       Xa§  graulein.    Sa^  ift  3I)nen?  luo  iDoIIen  (Sie  I)in? 
ti.  ^ett^cim.     i^on  3!)i^cn !  — 

Xa§  i^raulcin.      i^on  mir  ?     Snbem  fie  fcine  |)anb  an  i()re  Srufl 
jie^t.    S^rdumer ! 
ij.  ^ettdeim.    !l)ie  33erjlDeif{ung  tcirb  mid)  tot  3U  3I)i*cit 
10  gU^en  tDcrfen. 

^o§  gittulein.    S3on  mir  ? 

u.  2:eai)cim.     5)on  3t)tten.  —  @ie  nie,  nie  inieber  gu 

fe()en.  —  Obcr  bod)  fo  entfd)Ioffen,  fo  fcft  entfd)Ioffen, 

—  feine  9ciebertrdd)tit3t'eit  3U  becje()cn,  —  8ie  fcinc  Unbe- 

15  fonnent)eit  bet}ct)en  3U  (affen.  —  i^affen  @ie  mid),  Wlmm ! 

0iei§t  fid)  lot^  unb  ab. 

^00  i^riiulcin  i^mnad).     ^tinna  (Sie  laffeu?    S^ell^eim! 
2^eU{)eim ! 


Srittci:   SCttfjug* 


^rftcr  5(uftritt. 

T)ie  <Scene:  ber  <BaaU 
3^ufi  einen  S3rief  in  ber  ^anb. 

9JZu6  itf)  bod)  nod)  einmal  in  ba^  ocrbaiumte  @au§  fom^ 
uien !  —  ©n  ^riefdjcn  Don  meiiicm  §errn  an  ha^  gndbige 
grdnlein,  ba§  feine  Sdjincfter  fein  miL  —  3Benn  fid)  nur  ha 
md)t^  anfpinnt !  —  @onft  tnirb  be§  ^ricftragen^  fein  (5nbe 
tt)erben.  —  -^cf)  ^^dre  c5  gent  Io§  ;  aber  id)  mod)te  and)  nid]t 
gern  in§  3^^^^^^^^'  f)inein.  —  '^a§  granen^^^eug  fragt  fo  oiel, 
unb  id)  antinovte  fo  ungern !  §a,  bie  X()iire  gel)t  auf.  — 
Sie  geiniinfc^t !  ba^  hammer fdl^c^en ! 


Stncitcr  5luftrttt. 

i?rttn;;t§fa.     Sufi, 
^rttttjisfa  mr  %Uk  ^inein,  au«  ber  ne  fommt.  (Sorgen  (Ste  ntc^t;  15 

id)  miU  fd)On  anfpaffen.  —  (Siel) !     3nbem  fte  Suilen  geirak  trtrb. 

^a  ftiege  mir  ja  g(eid)  tva^  auf.    5lber  niit  bem  ^iel)  ift 

ntc^t^  anjnfangen. 

Sufi.    Ql)x  h'mm  — 


120  ^JJiinna  t)on  ^^arnljelm. 

^roitjigftt.    Qd)  wollk  fo  cincn  !l)iencr  n\d)t  — 
Sufi.    9tu,  nu,  tieqeil)'  8ic  mir  bie  ^cben^art !  —  T)a 
bring'  id)  ein  ^ricfdjcn  Don  meincnt  §errn  an  3()i*c  ©err- 
\d)a\t,  ha^  gniibige  grdnlcin  —  ©i^mefter.  —  Sar'^  nic^t 
5   fo?  ©djineften 

gronji^fo.     @eb'  iiv  l)er  !     O^eigt  i^m  ben  Srief  au^  bcr  ^anh. 
Sufi,    ^ie  foil  fo  gnt  fcin,  Itij3t  nicin  ©err  bitten,  unb 
e§  iibert3eben.  $ernad)  foil  (Sic  fo  gnt  fein,  liijit  mein  §err 
bitten  —  bag  <8ie  nidjt  etwa  benft,  id)  bitte  \va^ !  — 
10      l^ranjigfa.    ^3tobenn? 

Sufi.  2}iein  ©err  uerfteljt  ben  D^mnmeL  &  njeig,  bag 
ber  $i5ei3  jn  ben  grdulein^  bnrd)  bie  ^ammerntabd)en§ 
gel)t,  —  bilb'  id)  mir  ein !  —  'A^k  ^nngfer  foil  alfo  fo  gut 
fein,  —  Idf^t  mein  ©err  bitten,  —  nnb  il)m  fagen  laffen,  ob 
15  cr  ntd)t  ha^  ^>ergniigen  l)aben  tonnte,  bie  3uttgfet  auf  ein 
33iertelftitnbd)en  3U  fpred)en. 
iJronjtgf  tt.    Wid)  ? 

Sufi.    SSer^eil)'  Sie  mir,  tncnn  id)  Q{)v  einen  unred)ten 
Jitel  gebe.  —  Qa,  ©ie !  —  9tur  anf  ein  ;iUcrtelftiinbd)en, 
20  aber  allein,  gan^  allein,  in§gel)eim,  nntcr  Dier  2(ugen.    dt 
ptte  -3^^  ^^^  f^f)i^  9lottt)enbigc§  ju  fagen. 

Sron^i^fo.    @ut !  id)  l)abe  i()m  and)  oiel  in  fagen.  —  (5r 
!ann  nur  fommen  ;  id)  tnerbe  3U  feinem  •Q3efet)le  fein. 
Sufi,    ^ber,  tuann  fann  er  fommen  ?    SI>ann  ift  e§  3^r 
25  am  gelegcnften,  -Jungfer  ?    (So  in  ber  !5)dmmerung  ?  — 
^  ^ronji^fa.    Sie  mcint  Qv  ba§  ?    Sein  ©err  !ann  fom- 
men, mann  er  ttjill ;  unb  bamit  parf'e  &  fid)  nur ! 
Sufi.    ©er3lid)  gem  I    mu  fcrtgekn. 
^raujigfo.     ©iir'  (5r  bod) !  nod)  auf  ein  2Bort.  —  ^0 
30  finb  benn  bie  anbern  :33ebientcn  be§  9}?ajor§  ? 

Sufi.    T^ie  anbern  ?    "^aljin,  bort^in,  itberall()in. 
gfroujigfo.    5Bo  ift  3rsill)clin  ? 


SDrittcr  ^ufsug.     Stt^eilcr  ^luftritl,  121 

Sufi.    :t)er  tonmerbicner?  ben  lagt  ber  9Jtaj,or  rcifcn. 

gronjigfo.    ^o?    Unb  ^piiilipp,  \vo  ift  ber? 

Sufi.    :rer3dt3cr?  ben  I)at  ber  §eiT  auf3ul)eben  gegcben, 

granji^ftt.  Sci(  er  jcl^^t  feinc  3agb  Ijat,  ol)nc  3^^^^f^^-  — 
%htvmavtm?  5 

Sufi.    !Der  llntfdjer  ?  ber  ift  iDeggeritten. 

granjiafa.    Unb  grtlj? 

Sufi.    'X)tv  l^anfcr  ?  ber  ift  at)anciert. 

grttttjigftt.    So  luar  Gr  benn,  a(i5  ber  SJZajior  bei  nn^  in 
^I)iiringen  ini  335interqnartierc  ftanb  ?    (Sr  toar  \vol)i  nod]  lo 
nicf)t  bei  xijm  ? 

Sufi.  O  ja,  id)  wax  9?eitfnc(f)t  bei  if)m  ;  aber  icf)  (acj  im 
iOa^arett. 

granjigfa.    9^eit!ned)t  ?    Unb  je^t  ift  (Sr  ? 

Sufi.    Wc^  in  adem,  ^ammcrbiener  nnb  S'd^tv,  !^tinfcr  15 
unb  9^citfned)t. 

granji^fa.  T)a^  mng  id)  geftefjen !  (Bo  t)ie(e  gnte,  titd)tige 
Seute  oon  fid)  gu  (affen,  nub  gcrabe  ben  atlerfd)(ed)teften  gu 
be()a(ten !  Qd)  niod)te  bod)  iniffen,  ma^  Sein  §err  an  31)m 
fiinbe !  20 

Sufi.    ^iel(eid)t  finbet  er,  ba^  ic^  ein  ef)r(id)er  ter(  bin. 

^ranjigftt.  D,  man  ift  and)  t)er3it»eife(t  inenig,  tt)enn  man 
ireiter  nid)t$  ift  a(^  e()rlid).  —  Si(f)e(m  wax  ein  anbrer 
93cenfd) !  —  9ieifcn  IdJ3t  if)n  ber  gerr? 

Sufi.    -3a,  er  I'd^t  i()n,  —  t)a  er'§  nid)t  [)inbern  fann.        25 

^ranjisf  0.    Sie  ? 

Sufi.  O,  Silbelm  mirb  fid)  al(e  (5bre  auf  feinen  Dieifen 
mad)en.    dx  l)at  be§  .^errn  gan^c  6^arberobe  mit. 

gronjigfo.  Sa§  ?  Gr  ift  bod)  nid)t  bamit  burdigcgangen? 

Sufi.     T>a^  fann  man  nnn  ebeu  nid)t  fagen ;   fonbern  3° 
al^  itjir  t)on  ^litrnberg  mcggingen,  ift  er  un§  nur  nid)t  ba= 
mit  nad)gefommen. 


122  3!Jiinno  Don  $i3arnl)elni. 

^ranjigftt.    O  ber  (S|)i^bube ! 

^ufi.  (v^  wax  ctu  Gan3er  !iOccnfcf)!  er  lonnte  frificvcii 
unb  rafieren  unb  parlieren  —  unb  djarmiercn  —  9tid)t 
lDal)r  ? 
5  granjigfa.  ©onaci)  Ijiitte  id)  ben  Q'dQ^v  nid)t  t)on  mir 
getl)an,  wmn  tdj  iDie  ber  SJiajor  gelucfeu  unire.  lonnte 
er  tl)n  fdjon  nidjt  a(^  Oagcr  niilien,  fo  mar  e$  bod)  fonft 
em  tud)tiijer  ^ur|d)c.  —  ^cm  l)at  er  il)n  benn  auf5ul)eben 
geijebeu  ? 
10     Swpt.    5)snt  ^ommanbanten  Don  ^panbau, 

granji0fa.    'A^a  gcftumj?    "A^k  Qao,h  ouf  ben  Salkn 
fann  bod)  ba  and)  nid}t  grog  fein. 

Sufi.    D,  ^Ijiiipp  iagt  aud)  ba  nid)t 

i^ranjigftt.    '^a^  tl)ut  er  benn  ? 
15     S«fi.    ^1^  to't 

gran^i^f a.    (Sr  !arrt  ? 

Sufi.    51bcr  nur  auf  bret  ^ai^v,     (Et  mad)te  ein  !(eme§ 
^oinplott  nntcr  be^  gcrrn  ^^ouipagnic  unb  looHte  fed)^ 
9)?ann  burd)  bie  ^orp often  bringcn.  — 
20     g-ranjigfa.    Qd)  erftaune ;  ber  ^ofen)td)t ! 

Sufi.  D,  e§  ift  ein  tiid)tiger  terU  &n  Sciger,  ber 
fiinf^ig  Wcxkn  in  ber  9?unbe,  burd)  SS^cilber  unb  ^JZorcifte, 
ade  guf^fteige,  aik  @d)(eifioege  fennt.  Unb  td)ie6en 
!ann  er! 
25  |?ronjt0ftt.  @ut,  ha^  ber  Tlalox  nur  no(^  ben  braocn 
tutfd)cr  t)at! 

Sufi,    ©at  er  i!)n  nod),?  , 

,^ron^§fa.    -3d)  benfc,  fer  fagte,  3}Zarttn  tDcire  n^eggerit^ 
ten?    (Bo  unrb  er  bod)  \vo\){  n»ieber!ommen ? 
7,0     Sufi,    mint  @te? 

^^ronjigfo.    So  ift  er  benn  l)ingeritten? 

Sufi.    (5^  ge()t  nun  in  bie  jel)nte  3S3od)e,  ha  ritt  er 


S)rittcr  ''ituf^ug.     3tucitcr  ^uftritt.  123 

niit  be^  .^crrn  cin^tgem  unb  (cl^tcm  $)ieitpfcrb  —  nad)  ber 
(Scl}ineminc.  ■— 

granji^f a.    Unb  ift  noc()  nidjt  inteber  ba  ?    D,  ber  (3ah 
genftrid ! 

Suf}.   !4^ie  Scijtuemme  fanu  ben  bracen  ^ntfrfjcr  and)  lt»oI)(  5 
ncrfdjinemmt  I)alicn !  —  (E^  luar  gar  etn  rcdjtcr  ^ntfdjer ! 
&  ()atte  in  $!}icn  5cf)n  S^^^'^  gefaljren.    80  ctnen  friegt 
ber  §err  tgar  nidjt  luieber.     'iC^cnn  bie  ^^fcrbe  in  DoIIem 
9iennen  maren,  ]o  bnrfte  er  nnr  madjen  :  -33nrr !  unb  auf_^ 
einnmf  ftanben  fie  iDie  bie  9)tauern,     !Dabei  wax  er  ein  10 
au^gclcrnter  ^Jlo^ar^t ! 

Sronji^ftt.    9tun  ift  mir  fiir  ba§  5It)ancement  be§  i^iluferg 
bange. 

Sufi.    9^ein,  nein,  bamit  ^at'^  fetne  D^idjtigfeit.    (^r  ift 
^romme(fd)(agcr  bei  einem  Warnifonregimente  geiDorben.     15 

^ranji^fo.     l^adjt'  xdfi<  bod). 

Sufi,  gritj  I)ing  fid)  an  ein  (ieberlidje^  ^O^enfd),  fam  be§ 
9iad)t^  niemal^S  nad)  §aufe,  mad)te  anf  bc§  §»errn  Stamen 
iiberall  Sd)u(bcn  unb  taufenb  infame  ©treidje.  ^ur3,  ber 
Wlaiov  fa()e,  baj3  er  mit  a(kr  ©einalt  p()er  lt»o((te ;  !Dag  20 
t>mzn  ijantomimifc^  onjetgenb.  er  brad)te  if)n  a(fo  auf  guten 
.^^eg. 

^roujigftt.    £),  ber  ^ube ! 

Sufi.  5(ber  ein  perfeftcr  ?dufcr  ift  cr,  \)a^  ift  gelt){§. 
3Senn  i^m  ber  gerr  fiinf^ig  Sd)ritte  norgab,  fo  fonnte  er  25 
i^n  mit  feincm  beften  9ienner  nid)t  einbofen.  grilj  Ijin^ 
gegen  !ann  bem  ®a(gen  taufenb  ^c^ritte  norgebcn,  unb 
id)  trette  ntcin  ^chcn,  er  ()oft  i()n  ein.  —  (S^  maren  \vot)i 
a(Ie§  Qi)vt  guten  greunbe,  ^^^fifci*?  ^ei*  2Si(()elnt  unb 
ber  '$^tUpp,  ber  ?3cartin  unb  ber  grit^?  —  9iun,  3uft  30 
einpfie^It  fid) !   ©e^t  ah. 


124  SOZinno  t)on  53arnf)elm. 

fritter  3(uftritt. 
^tttttjt^ftt  unb  l)ernad)  tier  SStrt. 

^rttltji^fo  bte  i^m  ernjl^aft  nad)fiet)t.    ^d)  DerbtCUe  bett  ^tj !  — 

Qd)  bebanfe  micT),  3uft.    3d)  fcl^te  bie  (Sljrlidjfeit  gu  tief 

5   l)crab.     -3cf)  ^^^i^i  "^ic  2cf)re  nidjt  tiergci'fen.  —  511}  I   bcr 

unilUtdltdjC  ^Difimi !     Jlcl)rt  fid)  um  unb  tina  nad)  bcm  3immer  bc^ 

x^rauIeinS  9t'^en,  inbem  ber  2Btrt  tmmU 

^er  aSirt.    ^i^arte  Sie  bod),  mcin  fd)onc§  lltnb, 
i^ronji^fa.     S^)  ^)^^^^  l^^}^  ^W  3^^^  -&cn*  SKtrt  — 
10     ^er  2Btrt.    ^cur  ein  f(cine§  5Uti]cnblidd)cn !  —  Tiod)  fcine 
9^ad)rid)t  inciter  Don  bcm  $erm  SJ^ijor?    Da§  fonnte  boc^ 
umnbcidd)  fetn  5Ibfd)icb  fein !  — 
■^     ^ranjilftt.     Sa§bcnn? 

^er  SSirt.     §at  e§  3^)i*  ^fi§  cjndbigc  S-rdulein  nid)t  er- 
i5  3dl)(t?  —  5U§  id)  (Sie,  mcin  fc{)oncS  ^inb,  nntcn  in  ber 
^itd)e  uerliefe,  fo  !am  id)  Don  nngefd()r  ivieber  I)ier  in  hen 
<Saai  — 

f^ranji^fo.    S3on  nngefdf)r,  in  ber  5lbfid)t,  ein  tcenig  3U 

^ord)cn. 

20     ^cr  asirt.    (vi,  mein  .^inb,  wk  fann  (Sic  ba^  Don  mir 

benfen?    (Sinem  Sirte  IdfU  nid)t§  itbler  aU  ^f^engierbe.  — 

Qd)  UHir  nid)t  lanc^e  ()ier,  fo  prcllte  anf  eiumal  bic  X()iire 

bei  bent  gndbigen  grdnlein  auf.  !4^cr  3}?a{or  ftitr3te  I)eran§; 

ba§  grdnfcin  il)m  nad)  ;  beibe  in  einer  ^ctDcgnng,  mit 

25  :^^(iden,  in  eincr  Stednng  —  fo  \va^  Idf^t  fid)  nnr  feljcn. 

(2ic  crtiriff  il)n ;   cr  rif^  fid)  (oS ;   fie  ertjriff  i[)n  micben 

,,3Ie((l)eim !"  —  „gi*^^u{cin !  laffeu  ^ie  mid) !"  ^  „3S>o!)in?" 

—  @o  (^og  er  fie  bi§  an  bic  ^reppe.    Wiv  tnar  fd)on  hanc\Cr 

er  nnirbe  fie  mit  I)inabrci5cn.    ?(bcr  er  manb  fid)  nod)  Io§. 

30  T^a§  j^riinlein  blieb  an  ber  obcrften  (Sd)U)e((c  ftel)n,  faf)  i()m 


J>  s^ 


fritter  ^Iuf,l lis.     fritter  'iJlu ft r it t,  125 

nai^,  rief  t()m  nad),  rang  bie  gtinbe.  9luf  cttimal  umnbte 
fie  fid)  urn,  lief  nacf)  bciu  Scnftcr,  t)ou  bem  genfter  micbcr 
,;^ur  Xrcppc,  Don  bcr  Xrcppe  in  bcm  ^aa(e  I)in  nnb  inicbcr. 
§ier  ftanb  id) ;  I)ier  giiic]  fie  breinial  bci  niir  Dorbci,  oI)ne 
mic^  3n  fel)en.  (inblid)  mar  zi,  al^  ob  fie  mid)  fal)e ;  abcr,  5 
@ott  fci  bci  nn^S!  id)  cjlaube,  \)0.^  grdnlein  fal)e  mid)  fiir 
<2ie  an,  mcin  ^inb.  „gransiv^fa,"  ricf  fie,  bie  '^tngen  auf 
mid)  i3erid)tet,  „bin  id)  nnn  gliidlid)  ?"  :4^rauf  fal)e  fie  fteif 
an  bie  ^cd'e,  nnb  micbernm :  „bin  \&)  nnn  cjl'icflid)  ?" 
^raiif  iitifd)te  .fie  fid)  ^^rcinen  an§  bem  ^(nge  nnb  Iiid)elte  10 
nnb  fragte  mid)  intcbernm  :  ^gran^i-Sfa,  bin  id)  nnn  gliicf* 
tic^?"  —  $Ba{)rI)afti9,  id)  \\i\i!^\z  nid)t,  ipie  mir  ipar.  ^icJ 
fie  nac^  i{)rer  Xljiire  lief ;  ba  teljrte  fie  fid)  nod)ma(§  nad) 
mir  nm :  „(So  fomm  bod),  gran^isfa ;  incr  [ammert  bid) 
nnn?"  — Unb  bamit  r)inetn.  15 

^ran^i^fa.    D,  §crr  2Birt,  \iO.^  I)at  ^\)XiZXi  getrdnmt. 

^cr  SBirt.  ©etrdnmt?  5tcin,  mcin  fd)c>ne§  ^^inb,  fo 
nmftdiiblid)  trdnmt  man  nidjt.  —  3a^  ^i^)  ^^^ot^te  twic  t)iel 
brnm  t3eben,  —  id)  bin  nid)t  nen(]icrig,  —  aber  id)  inoKte 
iDie  oic(  brnm  geben,  menn  id)  \^t^x  <Sd)UiffeI  ba3n  l)dtte.    20 

i^ranji^f a.  :4^cn  (2d)(itffel  ?  ^n  nnfrer  X{)itre,  §err  2Birt, 
ber  ftecft  inncrf)a(b  ;  mir  I)aben  if)n  3nr  ^Dcad)t  [)ereinGe' 
3ogen ;  mir  finb  fnrd)tfam. 

Scr  2Birt.     9tid)t  fo  einen  ^d)Uiffe( ;    id)  mid  fagen, 
mein  fd)bne§  tinb,  ben  ^d)liiffe(,  bie  5(n^Iegnng  glcid)^  25 
fam,  fo  ben  cigentlid)en  3ui(^^i^ii^<^i^f}iitTg  t)on  bem,  ma^  tc^ 
gefel)en.  — 

Sronjigfo.  ^a  fo !  —  ^}ta,  5(bien,  gerr  Sirt  Scrbcn 
mir  balb  effeu,  ©err  35}irt? 

^cr  SStrt.    9}kin  fd)bnec^  ^inb,  nid)t  jn  t)ergeffen,  ma5  zo 
id)  eigent(id)  fagen  modte. 

Stanjigfo.    Dtnn  ?  aber  nnr  !nr3  — 


126  9)1  ill II a  bon  ^(unljclm. 

®er  2Btrt.  !Da^  gnitbige  graulcm  Ijat  nocf)  meinen 
9?tncj ;  id)  nenne  tl)n  metuen  — 

i^ronju^fo.    (vr  foil  SlKicn  uuDerloren  fcin. 

^er  n&ivu  Qd)  trage  barum  and)  feine  eorge ;  id)  \miV^ 
5  nur  erinnern.  (2tcl)t  <3ie,  id)  intll  i()n  tjar  nid)t  cinumi 
uiicber  ()aben.  ^d)  !ann  mir  bod)  idoI)(  an  ben  gingcrn 
ab3dl)fen,  n-iol)cr  fie  ben  d\mc\  fannte,  nnb  uioI)er  er  bcm 
il)rii3en  ]"o  al)nlid)  fal).  Gr  ift  in  il)ren  ©dnben  am  beften 
aufgeljoben.  -3d)  ^nag  i()n  gar  nid)t  niel)r  niib  und  inbc^ 
10  bie  Ijunbert  '}3tftolen,  bie  id)  baranf  gegeben  ()abc,  auf  be^ 
gndbigcn  grdnlcin^  9icd)nung  fet^en,  9tid)t  fo  red)t,  mein 
fd)one^  tinb? 

95icrtcr  5luftntt. 

ipaul  SBcriier.     ^cr  SBirt.     iJranjtSfa. 

15      SBerncr.    '^a  ift  ev  [a ! 

$5rttnji0ftt.    gnnbcrt  '^iftolcn  ?    -3d)  mcinte,  mtr  ad)t3ig. 

^cr  Sirt.  (S^  ift  \vai}x,.  nnr  ncnnyg,  mtr  ncnnsig.  'A^a^ 
mid  id)  t()un,  mein  fd)onc^  Hinb,  ba§  iDid  id)  t()nn. 

i?ronji§!o.    5(de§  ha^  tcirb  fid)  finben,  $err  Sirt. 
20       SBcrncr  ber  i^nen  ^interirart^  nd^er  fommt  unb  auf  einmal  ber  %xan^ 

lim  auf  bie  (5d)uitcr  ttopft.  graueu^immerdien,  graucn^im* 
merd)cn ! 

^ranjii^ftt  erfd)rtcft.     §e ! 

aScrner.     (Srfd)rc(f'  (Sie  nid)t!  —  graucn,3tmmerd)en, 

25  granen3immerd)en,  id)  fel)^  @te  ift  I)iibfd)  nnb  ift  lnol)t  gar 

fremb  —  Unb  l)iibfd)e  frembe  ?cnte  mitffen  gcmarnt  mcrbcn 

■ —  grancn5immcrd)en,  Sranen3immerd)en,  ne()m'  (Sic  fid) 

t)or  bem  ^^}canne  in  ad)t !    9iuf  ben  mxt  geigcub. 

^et  2Sir^.  Qc,  nnuermntete  grenbc !  gerr  ^anl  Sernerl 


>x 


5)rittcr  ^luf^ug.     ^^icrtcr  ?turtritt.  VT\ 


SiKfommcn  bci  un^,  n^ilifommen !  —  ^(),  e^  ift  boc^  tmmer 
nod)  ber  (uftige,  fpa^ljaftc,  cf)r(icf)e  Serner !  —  Sie  fod  fic^ 
Dor  mtr  in  ad)t  nel)mcn,  mcin  fdjone^  ^inb !    §a,  f)a,  l)a ! 

SBerncr.    (s)c()'  ^ie  i[)m  iibcrad  an^  beat  Sege ! 

^cr  asirt.    9)Ztr !  mtr !  —  ^in  id)  bcnn  fo  i3efd()rlic^  ? —  5 
.f)a,  t)a,  I)a  !  —  gbr'  eie  bod),  mein  )d)bne^  ^inb !    Sie 
gefdKt  3"^)^'  ^^^*  ^pa^? 

aBerncr.  ^aj  e^3  bod)  immcr  ^eine^g(eid)en  fiir  'Spag 
erfldren,  menu  man  il)nen  bie  5i3al)r()cit  [agt. 

^cr  asirt.    1)ie  ^^a()rl)cit !  ^a,  l)a,  I)a !  —  Ttid)t  tna^r,  10 
mein  fd^one^  ^inb,  imaner  beffer!  !l^er  ^JJ^ann  fann  fpaj3en! 
3d)  gefaf)r(id)  ?  —  id)  ?  —  (So  nor  s^nanjicj  -3a^}i*e^  i^ar 
xo^<i  bran-    ^^,  ja,  mein  fd)bne3  ^inb,  ^i^x  mar  id)  gefdl)r' 
lid) ;  ba  iDUBte  mand)c  banon  ^u  [agen  ;  abcr  jel^t  — 

aScrner.    D  iibcr  ben  alien  ^tarren !  15 

^cr  SBirt.  !^a  ftecft'^  cben !  SBenn  tDir  alt  tDerben,  ift 
e$  mit  nnfrer  @efdl)rlid)feit  au^»  (5^  irirb  5f)m  m&)  nid)t 
beffer  gel)n,  ^crr  33}crncr ! 

aSerncr.     ^>ol3  (ike!  nub  fciu  (Snbe !  —  granen^immer* 
d)en,  fo  oiel  il^crftanb  iinrb  (gie  mir  n)ol)l  gutrauen,  bag  20 
\&)  Don  ber  @efd[)rUd)fcit  nid)t  rcbe.     !l)er  eine  Xeufel 
l^at  il)n  Derlaffen,  aber  c^  finb  bafiir  ficben  anbere  in  it)n 
gefalircn  — 

^cr  aSirt.  D,  ^br'  Sic  bod),  l)br'  ^ie  bod) !  Sic  er 
ba{<  nnn  iincbcr  fo  l)erum  l^x  bringen  iDci^  ?  —  'Spag  iiber  25 
(gpaj^,  unb  immcr  tnaS  9ieueo !  D,  t^  ift  ein  Dortrcfflid)cr 
SD^ann,  ber  ^crr  "^aul  Serner !  —  3ur  ^rangi^fa,  at^  m^  D^r. 
(Sin  tDo()ll)abcttber  a)ton  unb  nod)  lebig.  (Sr  l)at  brei 
9)^citcn  Don  l)ier  ein  fd)bnc§  greifd)ul^cngcrid)te.  !4^cr  l)at 
^cute  gemad)t  im  tricgc !  —  Unb  ift  Sad)tnicii"tcr  bei  un=  30 
femi  gerrn  DJZajor  gemcfcn !    O,  ba^  ift  ein  greunb  Don 

21.  \!uf,  8,  2. 


128  yjJinna  bon  ^43arnl)cim. 

unfcnn  §cirn  Wa'iov !  ba§  ift  em  greunb !  ber  fid)  fiir  il)n 
tot  fdjlaijeu  liege !  — 

SBcrner.  ^a !  unb  ba§  ift  ein  greunb  Don  meinem  Tlalov ! 
ba§  ift  ein  greunb !  —  hm  ber  ^J^ajor  folite  tot  fdjiagen 
5   laffen. 

Xtx  mvt  mc  ?  m^  ?  —  Tidur  gerr  55:^erner,  ba§  ift 
nidjt  guter  epaj3.  —  3d)  fein  greunb  Dom  §errn  DJiaior? 

—  ^3?ein,  ben  ^pag  Dcrftel)'  id)  nid)t. 

aSerner.    3uft  t)tit  uiir  fd)i)ne  Swinge  er^illjtt. 

10  2)er  SSirt.  ^uft?  ^c^j  bad)t'§  n)ol)(,  bag  ^uft  burt^ 
©ie  fprildje.  3uft  ift  ein  bofer,  Qarftiger  2}?enfd).  5lbcr 
I}ier  ift  ein  fdjone^  £inb  pr  8te((e ;  ha^  faun  reben,  ba^ 
mag  fagen,  ob  id)  fein  greunb  oon  bem  §errn  d)}aiox  bin  ? 
ob  id)  il)m  feine  !l^ienfte  ermiefen  I)abe  ?    Unb  marum  foKte 

15  id)  nid)t  fein  greunb  fein?  -3ft  er  nidjt  ein  ocrbienter 
DJIann?  (5^  ift  nniljr,  er  I)at  ba^  Ungtiid  gel)abt,  abge^ 
banft  3U  tnerben:  aber  \va^  t()ut  bac^?  ^er  ^icinig  faun 
nidjt  alle  t)erbiente  l)Jcdnner  fennen  ;  unb  ipenn  er  fie  and) 
alk  !ennte,  fo  faun  er  fie  nidjt  alle  beloljuen. 

20     SScrncr.    :4Da§  Ijeigt  3l)n  @ott  fpredjen !  —  5lbcr  3uft 

—  freilidj  ift  an  Quitcn  and)  nidjt  t)ie(  -^efonbere^ ;  bod) 
ein  Sitgner  ift  QvL\t  nidjt ;  unb  irenn  haQ  \vai]x  ludre,  \va^ 
er  mir  gefagt  Ijat  — 

Xtt  mivt.  S^)  ^'^'^^^  ^on  ^uften  nidjt^  Ijoren !  Wit 
25  gefagt,  ba§  fdjone  f  inb  Ijier  mag  fpredjen !  2n  Ujx  ine  D^r. 
®ie  meig,  mein  ^inb,  ben  O^ing !  —  (Srjtlljr  6ie  e^  bod) 
§err  35}ernern.  I^a  mirb  er  mid)  beffcr  fennen  (ernen. 
Unb  bamit  e^  nidjt  Ijerau^fdmmt,  aU  ob  ^ic  mir  nur  3U 
gefaden  rebe,  fo  mil  idj  nidjt  einmal  babci  fein.  Qd)  mill 
30  nidjt  babet  fein ;  idj  mill  gelju ;  aber  ^ie  follen  mir  e§ 
mieberfagen,  gerr  25}erner,  eie  follen  mir  c^  mieberfagcn, 
ob  Quit  nidjt  ein  garftiger  i>erleumber  ift. 


2)ritter  ^ufsug.     ^unftcr  ^u[tritt.  129 

giinftcr  5(uftritt. 

^JttuI  SScrner.     gTttitji^fa. 

SBcrner.     grauen5immerd)cn,  fennt  (Sie  bcnn  mcincn 
maiov? 

%van]i§ta.    ^cn  d^layox  t)on  STcUljehn  ?    ^a  li3o()(  knn'  5 
id)  ben  brauen  iD^aun- 

SBcrner.    3ft  e^  nidjt  ein  braver  0}kmt?    3  ft  @ie  bem 
9)tanne  iPoI)(  tjut?  — 

f^ronji^ftt.    il>om  (s3vunbc  lucine^  ^cr^en^. 

SSerncr.    Saljrfjaftig  ?     8icl)t  3ic,  grauen^immerdjcn,  10 
nun  tdmmt  Ste  nur  nod)  ctninai  fo  fd)on  t>or.  —  '^Ibcr  \va^ 
finb  benn  ba^  fitr  ^ienftc,  bie  ber  Sirt  unferm  iDhipr  idKI 
cnnicfen  I)aben  ? 

^•ronjt^fa.     Qd)  iDiiJte  eben  nid)t ;  e^  tnarc  benn,  bag 
er  fid)  ba§  @ute  5ufd)reibcn  iDollte,  ii-)e(d)e^  (](iid'lid)ern)eife  15 
auv^  feinem  fd)nrfifd)cu  ^etra^en  entftanben. 

aSerncr.    ®o  iDiire  ev  [a  \mi)i\  \m^  niir  Qvi)t  cjefacjt  I)at? 
—  ©cgen  hit  ©ette,  ii^o  hn-  Sirt  abgcgangcn.      ^ein   (iUltcf,  baJ3  bu 

gegangen  bift !  —  Gr  l)at  i()m  unrflid)  bie  ^tancr  au^n^e^ 
rciuml  ?  —  ^0  einent  iDtanne  fo  cinen  Streid)  ^u  fpicten,  20 
Iticil  fid)  ha^  ($fe(v>i3cl)irn  cinbiibet,  ha^  ber  Tlann  fein  @elb 
me()r  f)abe !    ^er  SJiajor  fein  G3elb ! 

?5ronji^ftt.    (Bo  ?  \)at  ber  ma\ov  @elb  ? 

aSerncr.  Sie  §cn!  (It  meig  nid)t,  lt)ie  t)te(  cr  ^at. 
(5r  mcij^  nid)t,  Uier  i()m  fd)n(btoi  ift.  3d}  ^^i^  tl)in  fefber  25 
fd)nlbig  unb  bringe  if)m  ein  a(te^  9xeftd)en.  ^ie()t  2ie, 
granen5imnierd)en,  ()ier  in  biefem  53euteld)en  ba^  cr  an^  ber 
etnen  Zaid^t  gie&t  finb  t]nnbert  2oui^3bor,  nnb  in  biefem  dloiU 
d)en  ba«  er  aue  ber  anbcrn  iW  l)nnbert  ^ut'aten.  '^llle^  fein 
@e(b !  30 


130  aJiinna  t)on  ^^arntjclm. 

f^roiiji^ftt.    23^al)r()aftig  ?    5(ber  wavmn  ux]ci^t  benn  ber 
'Ma'iov  ?    (ir  \)at  ja  cincn  ^itng  Derfe^^t  — 

SSerucr.     iui-fcl^t !  '@(aub'  ^ie  bodj  fo  \m^  nidjt    '^itU 
kid)t  bail  er  ben  ^cttel  ^at  tjern  iDoUeu  io§  fcin. 
5       i^ranji^ftt.     (g^  ift  !cm  -^ettel,  e§  ift  ein  fe^r  foftbcirer 
Diinc},  ben  er  inol)!  nod)  bajn  Don  (ieben  §anben  l)at. 

lESerncr.    !4^a§  unrb'vj  and)  fctti.     ^>on  lielicn  ©dnben! 
ja,  ia !    (So  iDa^  crinnert  einen  mand)inat,  uioran  man  nid)t 
gern  erinnert  fein  mill*     ^rnm  fd)afft  man'^  au^  htn 
10  5lnc}en. 

i^ronji^fa.     Ste  ? 

SBcrncr.  S^eni  (Solbaten  gel)f§  in  Sintcrqnartieren 
lijnnberttd).  S^a  ()at  er  nid)t§  gn  t()nn  nnb  pflegt  fid)  nnb 
mad)t  nor  Sangeruieite  ^\^!anntfd)aften,  bic  er  nnr  anf  ben 
15  Sinter  nicinet,  nnb  bie  ba^  gnte  ^er^,  niit  bem  er  fie  mad)t 
fiir  3eit(eben§  annintnit.  §nfd)  ift  i()ni  benn  ein  9?ingel^ 
d)cn  an  ben  ginger  prafticiert ;  er  \vc\\]  fetbft  nid)t,  luic  e^ 
bran  fonnnt.  Unb  nid)t  fclten  giib'  er  tjern  ben  gintjer  niit 
brunt,  menn  er  e§  nnr  mieber  (o§  merben  fonnte. 
20  ^ranji^fa.  (Si,  nnb  foKte  e§  bem  'Maiov  and)  fo  c^co^an^ 
gen  fein  ? 

SScrner.     ©an^  gcun^.     ^efonber^  in  (Sad)fen ;  tnenn 
er  3e()n  ginger  an  jcber  .Qanb  ge!)abt  ()iitte,  er  lyditt  fie 
alle  s^pan^ig  t)o[(er  9iinge  geltiegt. 
25     iJronji^ftt  ki  ©cite.  T)a§  ftingt  ja  gan^  befonberS  nnb  uv- 

btcnt  nntcrfnd)t  ^n  uierben. §err  greifd)nl3e,  ober 

§err  Sadjtmcifter  — 

SScrncr.      granen^^immerd)en,  menn'^  3^)^*  nid)t§  tier- 

fd)Iagt :  —  §err  Sad)tmeiftcr,  t)ore  id)  am  licbftem 

30     3?ranji0fa.     9tnn,  ^qyx  333ad)tmeifter,  ^ier  ijahc  id)  ein 

^riefd)en  oon  bem  §errn  SQ^ajor  an  meine  .f^errfd)aft.    3d) 

wiii  e^  nnr  gefd)Unnb  ()ereintragen  nnb  bin  gleid)  mleber 


fritter  ^^lufaug.     ©ec^fter  ^uftritt.  131 

\>a.  K^iii  &  \do\)i  \o  gut  fein  unb  fo  lattge  ^ter  toarten? 
^dj  mocjite  (\av  3U  gcrn  mel)r  mit  3f)i^  plaubeni. 

SBcrncr.  ^$(aubcrt  Sie  gern,  grauen.^umnerc^en  ?  9lun 
meinetmegen ;  gel)'  8ie  nur ;  id)  plaubre  aud)  gern ;  i<i) 
mii  marten.  5 

granaigfo.    O,  Voaxtt  (Sr  boc^  ja !  ®e^t  a^. 


So- 


^Joul  SBerncr. 

!Da^  ift  kin  unebene^  grauett5imtnerd)en !  —  5lber  ti^ 
\^aiit  ii)x  bod)  nid)t  t)erfpred)en  foden,  ]U  luarten.  —  !l)enn  10 
i)a^$  iind)ttg|"te  tt)dre  n)ol)[,  id)  fud)te  ben  )}Jla]ov  auf.  —  (Sr 
iriK  mein  ©c(b  ntd)t  unb  Derfet^t  lieber  ?  —  !^aran  fcnn'  ic^ 
i^n.  —  (5^  fctdt  tnir  ein  ^d)ne((er  ein.  —  5((^  id)  Dor  Dicr- 
ge'^n  S^agen  in  ber  ^tabt  mar,  befui^te  id)  bie  9^ittmeifterin 
SDMrtoff,    "^a^  anne  Seib  lag  !ranf  unb  iamntertc,  haf^,  il)r  15 
932ann  bent  33Jajor  Dicr^unbert  3:i)a(er  fd)u(big  geblieben 
uidre,  bie  fie  nid)t  nniiltc,  mie  fie  fie  be^^aljfcn  fodte.    ©cute 
moKte  id)  fie  mieber  bcfud)cn  ;  —  id)  moKte  ifir  fagen,  menu 
tc^  ba^  @elb  fi:r  mein  @iitd)cn  au^ge5a()lt  friegte,  baf,  ic^ 
t^r  fitnf()unbert  X()afcr  lei()en  tonnte.  —  !4}enn  i(^  muj  [a  20 
h)oI)t  ma^  banon  in  eid)cr()eit  bringcn,  n»enn'6  in  ^erfien 
nid)t  get)t.  —  'Jtbcr  fie  mar  iiber  aUe  ^erge.    Unb  gan^  ge= 
mig  mirb  fie  bent  D??ajor  nid)t  l]abcn  be^al)(en  fdnnen.  — 
-3a,  fo  milt  idf^  mad)en,  unb  ba^  je  el)er,  je  (ieber.  —  Ta^ 
grauen5immerd)en  mag  mir'^  nid)t  iibe(  ne^men  ;  id)  !ann  25 
nid)t  marten.     ®e^t  in  ©ebanfen  ah  unb  il5§t  fail  auf  ben  mam,  ber 
ihm  cntgegen  fomnU- 


132  5DHnna  bon  ^-8QrnI)eIm. 

(Sicknter  5(uftritt. 
b.  ^ePeim.    ^aul  SBerner. 

ti.  XeUf^nm.    ^o  in  ©ebanfcn,  iiBcrncr  ? 

SSerncr.  :^a  finb  Bk  [a  ;  id)  inollte  ebcn  cjcljn  unb  (Sie 
5   in  3()i'cm  neuen  Qnartiere  befudjcn,  gcrr  9Jlajor. 

t).  ^cfiljcim.  Um  mir  auf  ben  Sirt  bc§  altcn  bie  DIjren 
t)o((  3U  fludjcn.    ©cbenfe  mir  nidjf  taran. 

SSerner.  T^a^  l)dttc  id)  bei()cr  getljan  ;  ja.  5(kr  eigent- 
(id)  motlte  id)  mid)  nur  bei  SO^cn  bcbanfcn,  bag  2ie  fo  pt 
10  i3cn-)efen  unb  mir  bie  I)unbert  i^oui^bor  aufgcljoben.  Quit 
^at  mir  fie  nnebergegeben.  (S§  iDdre  mir  tno()(  frei(id)  licb, 
n>eim  @ie  mir  fie  nod)  (dnger  auf()cben  fonntcn,  3tbcr  (gie 
finb  in  ein  neu  Ouartier  gejogen,  ba§  mcber  (Sie  nod)  id) 
fcnnen.  Ser  meig,  nne'S  ba  ift  (Sic  f'onntcn  QO^en  ba 
15  gefto()Icn  nicrben,  unb  ©ie  miiBten  mir  fie  erfcl^cn  ;  ba 
()ii(fe  nid)ti5  baoor.  5Ufo  !ann  id}^  S^W^  freilidj  nid)t 
3umuten. 

tJ.  t(Uf)nm  Udjdnh,     (^eit  inenu  bift  bu  fo  oorfid)tig, 

20  SSerncr.  (v^  (crnt  fid)  nioI)(.  W}an  !ann  ()eut3Utage  mit 
feinem  @e(be  nid)t  t>orfid)tti^  gcnut]  fcin.  —  !4}anad)  Ijattc 
id)  nod)  nma  an  Sie  jn  bcfteden,  ©err  3}iaJor,  non  bcr  ?lUtU 
mciftcrin  9}?ar(off ;  id)  fam  cben  oon  if)r  f)er.  3()r  SQ^mn 
ift  3()nen  ja  oicrI)unbert  XI)aIer  fd)u(big  n^bticben ;   l)ier 

25  fdiicft  fie  3I)nen  auf  5(bfd)(aii  ()unbert  ^T^ufaten.  '4^a§ 
iibri(]c  un((  fie  fiinftitic  Sod]e  fd]icfeu.  3^^)  ntbd)tc  \vd\)i 
fciber  Urfad)c  fcin,  baf^  fie  bie  ®umme  nid)t  gan^  fd)i(ft 
!4)enn  fie  mar  mir  and)  ein  3:f)a(er  ad)t^^ig  fd)u(bifj ;  unb 
Wcii  fie  bad)te,  id)  tndre  gefomuien,  fie  ,5U  uui()nen,  —  mie'iS 

30  benn  and)  mo!)!  unil)r  mar,  —  fo  c\ah  fie  mir  fie,  unb  gab 


^        u 


fritter  ^(uf^uG.     Siebcntcr  *5(uftritt.  133 

fie  mir  au§  bcm  9iD((d)cn,  '^<x%  fie  fiir  2ie  fcfjon  5urecf)ti]eret3t  ^ 

l^atte.  —  3ie  tonnen  audj  fdjon  eljcr  ;jl)rc  Ijimbert  XI)aler       (j^^^ 
eitt  adjt  Xacje  nod)  miffen,  alv5  idj  meine  paar  (S)rofdjeu.  — 
^a  nel)meu  ®ie  bod) !    9icid)t  it}m  bie  9toIIe  ^Dufatem  L  ' 

I).  ^eKljcim.    Scnicr!  5 

SSevner.    :)(un?  tnarum  fc()en  ^ie  mid)  fo  ftarr  an? —    ^ 
(So  neljuien  3ic  bod),  *nciT  9Jcajor  1  — 

ft.  2:ea^cim.    ili^crner ! 

aScrner.    S53a§  fcl)(t  3I)nen  ?    Sa^  drcjert  Ste  ? 

D.  S^cli^cim  Mttcr,  intern  er  fii^  »or  bie  ©time  rd)Iast  unb  mit  bent  lo 

gu§e  auftritt.     I^aJ  c^  —  bie  t)ier{)uubert  %^^{tx  nidjt  gan3 
finb. 

SBcrncr.    ^J^uti,  nun,  §err  DJIajor!     §aben  ^\t  mid) 
benn  nidjt  t)erftanben? 

t).  3^ea^eim.    (Sben  mcil  idj  bidj  Dcrftanben  !)abe !  —  -  3)ag  15 
midj  bodj  bie  bcften  iD^enfdjen  fjcut  am  meiften  qudlen 
miiffcn ! 

SBerner.    3Ba^  fagen  Ste  ? 

d.  ^efl^cim.    (5g  geljt  bidj  nur  ^ur  gdlftc  an !  —  (S5ef), 
533crncr !     3nbent  er  bie  ^anb,  mit  bcr  i(}m  SBerncr  'i)k  2)ufaten  rcid)t,  20 
^uritcfftotU. 

aScrner.    Sobafb  idj  \i<x^  (0^  bin ! 

n.  ^ett^eim.    SBerncr,  menn  bu  nun  Don  mir  fjdrft,  bag 
bie  ^D^ar(off  Ijeute  c}an3  friilj  felbft  bei  mir  gemcfen  ift? 

SSerner.    (So  ?  25 

ti.  2:cflfjcim.    I^ag  fie  mir  nidjt^?  meljr  fdjulbig  ift? 

aSerncr.     Sa()r{]aftii]  ? 

t).  2;eflfjcim.   :ra5  fie  mic^  ^z\  §e((er  unb  pfennig  be^aljlt 
fjat :  iDa^S  iDirft  bu  bann  fagen? 

SBerncr  ber  ftc^  einen  STugcnblicf  bermnt,     ^'dj  Uicrbe  fageu,  "^^^  3« 
idj  cjetogen  Ijabe,  unb  \i<s.%  e§  cine  fjunb^^fottfdje  Sadje  um§ 
Siigen  ift,  tncit  man  brliber  ertappt  incrben  fann. 


134  ^IRtnna  Don  ^-8QrnI)cIm. 

t>.  XcUf}mi.    llnb  unrft  bid}  fdjamcn? 

aScrucr.    '^Ibcr  bcr,  bcr  mid)  fo  ;^u  (itgcn  StDincjt,  tua§ 

folltc  hex?     (SoHtc  bcr  fid)  nidjt  aud)  fdjcimen?     (Sci)en 

®ie,  Qcvx  Maiox  ;  luenn  id)  facjte,  ba^  mid)  3l)i'  S3erfal)rcn 

5  nidjt  ucrbrciffc,  fo  (jdtte  id)  tuieber  getocjen,  unb  id)  tDtll  nidjt 

mc()r  liigcn  — 

ti.  3:cll^cim.  (Set  nidjt  ijerbrie^U^r  Scrner !  3(^  evfcnnc 
bein  ger3  unb  bcine  !^icbe  ju  mir.  5lber  idj  braudje  bein 
mh  ntd)t 
10  Bcrncr.  (Sie  braudjcn  c§  nidjt?  Unb  t)er!aufen  (ieber 
unb  Dcrfct^en  (icber  unb  bringen  fidj  lieber  in  bcr  I'cutc 
Wdnkv? 

ti.  S^eH^cim.    ^ic  l^cute  mogen  c^^  tmnier  tDiffen,  ^a^  id) 
nidjt^  metjr  ^abc.    9}can  niuj  nidjt  reidjcr  fdjeincn  inoUen, 
15  a(^  man  ift 

SSerner.    5(ber  marum  cinner?  —  Sir  fjaben,  fo  (ange 
unfcr  grcunb  Ijat. 

tj.  2:cPcim.  (^^  ^icmt  fid)  nidjt,  bag  idj  bein  (Scf)u(bner 
bin. 
20  ascrner.  ^mni  fid)  nidjt?  —  3[Benn  an  einem  '^eif^cn 
Zac\c,  ben  un§  bic  (Sonne  unb  bcr  geinb  (jcig  tnadjte,  fid) 
3()r  ^citfnedjt  mit  ben  l!antinen  Dcrlorcn  fjatte,  unb  (Sie 
SU  mir  !amen  unb  fagtcn :  Serner,  Ijaft  bu  nidjt§  ju 
trinfen?  unb  idj  3^)t^en  mcine  geibftafdje  rcidjte,  nidjt 
25  matjr,  (Sie  naljincn  unb  tranfen?  —  ^kmtc  fid)  ha^?  — 
^et  meiner  armen  Sccte,  menu  ein  Sirunf  faulc^  Saffer 
bamal^  nidjt  oft  mcljr  uiert  uiar  aU  aitc  bcr  Quar! !  3nbcm 

er  aud)  ben  3?cutcl  mit  ben  Soui^borcn  l)erauojic[)t  unb  ii^m  bcibeS  ^inreiitt. 

''Jteljmcn  @ie,  (icber  SDlnjor!     ^ilben  (Sie  fidj  ein,  e^  ift 
30  3Baffer.    5(ud)  ba^  Ijat  ®ott  fiir  aik  gefdjaffen. 

22.  Jtantinen,  0teifefctIer ;  ein  au^i^efiitterter  i^ajlen  pm  kc|uemen 
2:ran^pcrt  i^on  2Bcinflafd)cn. 


fritter  ^ufsuQ.     Siebenter  ^uftritt.  135 

ti.  Xtfll)cm,  ^u  marterft  mid) ;  bu  I)  or  ft  e§  \a,  id)  tnid 
beitt  Sdjulbner  nidjt  fcin. 

SScntcr.  (Srft  3ieiiitc  ci^  fid)  nid)t ;  nun  Woikn  Sie  nid)t? 
Qa,  ha^  ift  lua^^  anbcrc^.  (£tma^  drgerUd).  Sic  iDoden  mcin 
©d)ulbner  md)t  fein  ?  Senn  Sie  e§  benn  aber  fd)on  iKdrcn,  5 
§err  d^layox  ?  Ober  finb  Sie  bem  2)ianne  nid)t$  fd)u(big, 
ber  einmal  ben  .f){cb  miffing,  ber  3^)1^^^  ^^^  ^opf  fpaltcn 
foKte,  unb  ein  anbermal  ben  3(rm  Dom  9imnpfe  I)icb,  ber 
cben  lo^britcfen  unb  ^O^en  bic  ^utjel  burd)  bic  -53ruft  fagen 
tDottte  ?  —  ^a^  tonmn  (Sie  biefeni  dJlaxint  me{)r  fd)ulbig  10 
tnerben?  Dbcr  f)at  e^3  mit  meinem  ."palfe  meniger  ^u  fagcn 
at§  mit  meinem  ^eutcC?  —  2Benn  ba§  Dornef)m  gcbad)t  ift, 
bei  meiner  armcn  Seetc,  fo  ift  e^  and)  fel)r  abi3efd)madt 
gebad)t ! 

t).  XcUfidm,  Wit  mem  fprid)ft  bu  fo,  Werner?  SSir  15 
finb  altein ;  jeljt  barf  id)  e^s  fagen ;  menu  un^  ein  I^ritter 
f)orte,  fo  mitre  e^  ^Mnbbcutctci.  ^d)  betenne  e§  mit  ^er- 
gnitgen,  baf>:  id)  bir  jmcimat  mcin  Vcbcn  3U  banfen  I)abe. 
5{bcr,  grcunb,  moran  fc()ltc  mir  co,  ba^  id)  bei  ©etcgentjcit 
nid)t  cben  fo  uiel  fitr  bid)  mitrbc  get()an  ()aben  ?    §e !  20 

aScrncr.  9tur  an  ber  ©elegeniicit !  ^^er  \}at  baran  gc= 
jmeifclt,  $crr  d)la]ox  ?  §abc  id)  3ie  nid)t  ()unbcrtma(  fiir 
ben  gcmeiuften  Solbaten,  menu  er  in^  G)cbrdnge  gefommen 
mar,  SW  Seben  magcn  fcl)en  ? 

ti.  ^eflOeim.    9Ufo  !  25 

aScruer.    5(bcr  — 

tj.  2caOcim.  S5}arum  t3erftcl)ft  bu  mid)  md)t  rcd)t?  Qd) 
fage :  e^5  ^icmt  fid)  uid)t,  ha]^  id)  bein  Sd)u(bncr  bin  ;  id) 
milf  bein  ed)ulbner  nid)t  fein.  ^tcim(id)  in  ben  llmftdnbcn 
nid)t,  in  mcfdjcn  icf)  mid)  jcl3t  befinbe,  3c 

SBcrncr.  So,  fo !  Sic  molten  c^  t)erfparen  bi§  anf  beffere 
3eiten ;    Sie  molten  ein  anbcrmal  @ctb  t)on  mir  borgen. 


136  3DH  n  n  a  to  0  n  ^43  n  r  n  Ij  c  I  in . 

irenn  cSte  feme^  brnucf)cn,  incnn  @ie  fcfbft  mcMjc^  (jabcn, 
nnb  tdj  inedcidjt  fcinci?. 

tj.  XcUt)t'm,    Man  muj  ntd)t  borcjen,  tncnn  man  nidjt 
lt)ieber  3U  gcbcn  lucig. 
5       gScritcr.  (iincm  3}cann  tine  @ie  fann  e§  ntdjt  tmincr  fct)(cn. 

D.  XtUi)t'm.  "^u  femtft  bie  ^T^elt !  —  %m  UKuigftcn  mug 
man  fobann  t3on  cincni  borgen,  ber  fcin  @e(b  fctbft  braudjt 

SBerner.    D  ja,  fo  einer  bin  id)!    SS^o^u  braudjf  id)'^ 
bcnn  ?  —  So  man  einen  3i^ad)tmeiftcr  notitj  ()at,  gicbt  man 
10  i{)m  anc^  3U  leben. 

t).  XtUWrn.  t)u  braudjft  e§,  mel)r  al§  25?adjtmcifter  p 
iDerben,  bid)  auf  ciner  ^a!}n  nieitcr  ^u  bringcn,  auf  bcr 
otjne  (^e(b  and)  ber  $s3iirbigfte  3uriidlileibcn  faun. 

aSerncr.  3}?e()r  a(^  2Bad)tmeifter  gn  nierben  ?  baran  benfe 
15  id)  nid)t.     3d)  t^in  ein  guter  5Bad)tmetfter  :mb  bitrfte  Ieid)t 
eiu  fd)Ied)tcr  9xittmeifter  nnb  fid)crlid)  nod)  cin  fd)(cd)tcrer 
general  merben.    '^ie  (E-rfaljvung  Ijat  man. 

ti.  2efl§eim.  ^Jlad}^  nid)t  bag  id)  etioa^  Unved)tc§  oon 
bir  benfen  mug,  i:B3crner !  -3d)  I)abe  c^  nid)t  gem  ijel)brt, 
20  \m\^  mir  Qu\t  gcfagt  ()at.  I^u  f)aft  bcin  @ut  oerfauft  uub 
miKft  loicbcr  ()crumfd)nnu-men.  ?ag  mid)  nid)t  Don  bir 
glaubcn,  "i^ai^  bu  nid)t  fomol)(  ba§  IDccticr  ati3  bie  loilbe, 
Iicbcrlid)c  l^cben^art  ticbeft,  bie  uugUtdlid)crUKi[c  bamit  nor* 
bunben  ift.  9}^au  mug  ®o(bat  fetn  fitr  fcin  ii'aub,  obcr  au^ 
25  ^icbe  3U  ber  (Sad)c,  fiir  bie  (]cfod)ten  mirb.  0()ne  51bfid)t 
l)eutc  l[)ier,  morgcu  ba  bicuen,  I)cigt  mie  cin  8:(ci[d)crfned)t 
rcifcn,  tueiter  uid)t§. 

SScrncr.     9hin  ia  bod],  §err  Maiov ;   id)  nn((  3l)^cn 

folgcn.    ®ie  iriffen  be[fer,  iiia§  fid)  gcl)ort.    Qdj  wnii  bet 

30  3()ncn  bicibcn.  —  ^{bcr,  licber  3J?ajor,  ncl)men  (Sie  bod) 

and)  bcnncilc  mein  ©clb.    J)eut  obcr  morgen  mug  3I)rc 

(Sad)c  au§  fcin.    (Sic  miiffcn  G5c(b  bie  9Jtcuge  bcfomnicn. 


5)ritter  '^uf^ug.     ©iebenter  ^uftrilt.  137 

(gie  folfen  mtr  c^^  fobattn  mit  3"tci'cf]'cn  l:){ebergelien.    Qd) 
t()u'  e^  ja  nur  ber  ^'^^^^I'^K^^  luccjcu. 

0.  ^cflOeim.    ^djiucig  bauou  ! 

fBtvntv,  ^ci  lueincr  armeu  ^eete,  id)  t^u'  c^3  nur  ber 
Stttereffen  inegeit !  —  iisenu  id)  maiidjuml  badjt: :  luie  mirb  5 
e§  mit  bir  mif^ '2(lter  lucrben?  mnn  bu  311  2d)anben  gc^ 
I)aucn  bift?  tDcim  bu  uidjt^S  ^aben  intrft?  ir»cuu  bu  mirft 
betteln  ge^en  mU[fcu  ?  fo  bad)te  id)  luicber :  ^Jc'ciu,  bu  unrft 
nirf)t  betteln  gef)n ;  bu  mirft  ^uni  Wla\ov  ■telUjcint  gcl)u  ; 
ber  mirb  feinen  let^tett  'pfennig  mit  bir  teilen  ;  ber  mirb  hid)  10 
gu  Xobe  fiittcrn ;  bet  bem  luirft  bu  aUi  cin  el)rlid)er  £erl 
ftcrben  founen. 

tJ.  ScC^eim  inbem  cr  33crner5  ^anb  ergrcift.   llnb,  l^amcrab,  ba§ 

benfft  bu  nid)t  nod)  ? 

SBcrncr.    9ieitt,  ha^  benf  id)  nid)t  mef)r,  —  55>er  t)on  mir  15 
nid)t§  annel)mcn  wiit,  incnn  er'^  bcbarf  unb  idf^  fjahc,  ber 
voiii  mir  and)  nid)t^  gcben,  ireun  er'§  l)at  unb  idf^  bebarf. 
—  ed)on  gut !    2iMa  gctm. 

ti.  2^cfl^cim.  ajtenfd),  madje  mid)  nid)t  rafeub !  So  mil]t 
bn  l)in  ?  $au  Urn  .^uriicf .  SBentt  t(^  bid)  nun  anf  meine  ($f)rc  20 
t)er]'id)ere,  ha^  id)  nod)  @e(b  r)abe ;  tnenn  t^  bir  anf  meine 
&]vc  uerfpre(^e,  ha^  id)  bir  e§  fagen  tDttt,  tpenn  icf)  fcincS 
mel)r  t)abe ;  baj^  bn  ber  erfte  unb  ein^ige  fein  fof(ft,  M  bem 
id)  mir  ci\m^  borgen  un(( :  —  bift  bu  bnnn  ^nfricbcn? 

SBcrner.    9??u5  id)  nid)t?  —  ©eben  @ie  mir  bie  §anb  25 
baranf,  §err  'Ma'jow 

tJ,  ^cpcitn.    Ta,  ^ant !  —  Unb  nun  genng  baDott,    ^d) 
torn  ()icl)cr,  nm  ein  gemiffe^  2}tabd)cn  ju  fpred)eu  — 


138  ^Dtinna  Don  33arnl)elm. 

n^kv  %n^txitt, 

Sronji^ftt  au^  bcm  3immcr  be^  grduleina.    D.  ^ell^cim.    ^ttul  SScrncr. 

gronjigfa  im  ^erau^treten.    @tnb  ®ie  iiocl)  ba,  §eiT  Sadjt' 
meifter  ?  —  3nbem  fie  \}m  ZtMtim  gca^a^r  tt)irb.      llnb   @ie  fittb 

5   and)  ba,  §err  ^JJMjor?  —  ^en  Slugeubllcf  bin  id)  gu  ^Ijren 
!Dicnften.     ®tU  9efd)tt)inb  i»{cber  in  ba^  3immer» 


9Jcuntcr  5(uftritt. 
D.  2^cfl^ctm.    ^aul  SBerncr. 

ti.  ^en^cim.    ^a^  \x>av  fie !  —  2lber  id)  f)bre  ja,  bu  !ennft 
10  fie,  $!3erner  ? 

SBerncr.   3"^^^  '^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^  grauensiinmerdjen.  — 

6.  XcUijt'm.     ©leidjinol)!,  uienn  id)  mid)  rec^t  erinnere, 
a(^  id)  in  2;l)itrincjen  Sinterqnartier  I)atte,  luarft  bu  nid)t 
bci  mil*  ? 
15      SSerncr.     9^ein,  ba  beforgte   id)   in  ^eip^ig  SOIunbier* 
nncj^ftitde. 

t).  ^ctt^eim.    SoI)er  fennft  bu  fie  benn  alfo? 

SScrncr.    Unfere  ^efanntfd)aft  ift  nod)  blutjnng.     (Sie 
ift  Don  I)eutc.    5(ber  junne  ^^efanntfd)aft  ift  wavm, 
2o     b.  XtUf^cim.    5Ufo  I)aft  bu  il)r  grdulcin  inol)!  and)  fd)on 
gefe()en  ? 

SScrner.    ^'ft  ^^)^^ ''P^^^n'f)^! ^  ^^^  S^'Mein  ?  @ie  ^at  mir 
gefagt,  @ic  fennten  i()re  §crrfd)aft. 

tj.  ^ctt^eim.    gorft  bu  nid)t?  au§  2:()iivingen  l^er. 

15.  sRunbierungC^ftiicfe,  SWonticrung^iliicfe. 


2)ritler  ^lu^ug.     3ef)nter  ^uftritl.  139 

SBerncr.    3ft  ^ti§  grdutein  {ung  ? 
tj.  XtUt)nm.    Sa. 
SBerner,    ^d)6n  ? 
t).  XtUf)c'm-    ^el)r  fdjon. 

SBcrner.     9ietd)  ?  5 

t).  2^caOeim.    (Sel)r  reid). 

aScrncr.    3ft  3f)^cn  ba^  grauletit  aitd)  fo  gut  \vk  ba^ 
a)^abd)en?    ^a^  marc  \a  oortvcff(td) ! 
ti.  ZtU^tim,    Sie  meinj't  bu  ? 


ge^utcr  5luftritt.  lo 

^ranjt^ftt  uneber  ^erau^,  mit  cinem  Sriefe  in  ber  ^anb,    ft.  ^cK^Cittt. 

^aul  28erncr. 

^ronjigfa.    §eiT  SO^aior  — 

ft.  XtUt)t'm.  l^iebe  gransi^fa,  id)  I^abe  bid)  nod)  nic^t  Wiil^ 
fommeii  ()eij3en  fonneu.  15 

^ran^igfo.  3^  (^ebanfett  trerben  (gie  e§  bo($  fc^on  ge^ 
tf)an  \)abcn.  3d)  tuei^r  ^ie  fiub  mir  gut.  3d)  3()nen 
auc^.  Slber  ba§  ift  gar  nid)t  artig,  ta^  Bit  Seute,  bie  3l)tten 
gut  fiub,  fo  dngfttgen. 

SBerner  m  fic^.    ^a,  nun  merf  id^.    (5g  ift  rid)tig !  20 

ft.  ^eK^cim.  Tim  ed}icffa(,  g-ran^isfa !  —  ^aft  bu  il)r 
ben  i^'icf  iibcrgeben? 

g-ronji^fa.    3^^/  ii^^  t)is^  Ubcrgebe  i(^  3^)i^cu  —  9ieic^t  i^m 

ben  ^rief. 

ft.  Xcfljjcim.    ($inc  5(ntU)ort  ?  —  25 

$5vauji^fa.    9tcin,  SD^'cn  eigncn  ^ricf  micber, 
ft.  xmc'm.    Sa§?  (gte  uuK  il)n  nid)t  (cfen? 
S-vonjifftt.    (Sie  iDoKte  tvol)!,  abcr  —  iDtr  tbnnen  @efd)ries 
bene^  nid)t  gut  (efen. 


140  ^fJiinna  t)on  58ornI)eIm. 

ft.  XtUf^dm,    (Bdydkvin ! 

gransisfa.  Unb  mv  bcnfen,  ha^  ha^  -53rieffd)rciben  fitr 
bte  nid)t  erfimben  tft,  bie  fid)  mitnblM)  mit  einanber  unter- 
Ijalten  fonncn,  fobaib  fie  iDollcn. 
5  ft.  ^ea^eim.  SBcldjer  ^^onnanb !  'Ste  mu^  i()n  lefcn. 
(5r  entl)dlt  meiuc  Oicdjtfertigung,  —  ade  bic  (S5rimbe  imb 
Urfadjen  — 

granjigfa.     'A^k  mH  ba^  gi'ciulein  t)on  3^{)nen  fdbft 
l^dreu,  nid)t  (efeii. 
10     ft.  ^efifjeim.    ^^on  mir  felbft  Tjoren?    ^anut  mid)  jcbcS 
SKort,  jebe  '^Dticuc  Don  il)r  Demirre,  bamit  id)  in  Jebem  tl)rer 
^Mc  bie  gan3e  ©rcijc  meine^  ^.^crliift^  empfinbe  ?  — 

granjigfa.    DI)ne  ^armljergigfeit !  —  'iJtelimen  @ie !   <Bk 
fiiebt  ifent  ben  23rief.    (gie  cnDavtet  @ie  um  bret  U()r.    (^ic  it)t(( 
15  au§fal)reu  unb  bie  8tabt  bcfcljen.     @ie  follen  mit  i^r 
fa^rcn. 

ft.  ^ca^cim.    Wit  it)r  fa^ren. 

??ranji0ftt.     Unb    toa^    Qcben   <Sie  mtr,   fo    (aff   ic^ 
(Sic   licibe    gan3    allcin   fa()ren?     Qii)   will   ^n   gaufe 
20  bleibcn. 

ft.  XtUi)tm.    G5an3  alleiu? 

f^ran^i^to.    Qn  einem  fd)onen,  t)erfd)(offencn  Sagen. 

ft.  ^ell^cim.    Unmoglid) '. 

5?ran;^i0fa.    Sa^  l^ ;   tm  sBagen  mug  ber  §eiT  IDtajor 

25  ^al3  ait§I)a(ten  ;  ba  tan  er  un§  nid)t  cntunfd)cn.    3!)arum 

gefd)icl)t  e§  eben.  —  ^urj,  (gie  fommen,  §err  ajtajor,  nnb 

'^punfte  brei.  9^un?  Sic  modten  mivd)  [a  and)  adein  fprcd)cn. 

25.  f.  ^a^  au^^alten  ®nmni5  SBortcrtniA  s.  v.  gai}t  V,  287:  „1)a 
man  bod)  fiir  ben  cigcntltiten  Sinn  an  eine  unrfUite  ^at3e  su  bcnfcn  Ijat,  fo 
fc^etnt  ca  etgentit*  eine  CEbrenftvafe  ju  fein,  cin  ©ettcniliicf  ju  bem  '^unbe^ 
tragen'  (tBiiringifite  SfJebenSart:  „^unbe  fitbren  M^  23aut^cn"),  bem  (£ble 
untcrlagen".  5Iia  itbertragene  Sebeutung  gtebt  ba^  SBortcrbud)  an:  „ficb 
Ublc5  scfaUen  laffen,  ^er^alten  muffen,  aU  3it1fd)eibe  btcnen". 


fritter  ^ufsug.     Seljntcr  ^uftritt.  141 

3i^a^  ijaUn  3ie  mtr  bcim  ju  facjen  ?  —  -3a  fo,  \mx  [inb 

uid}t  aKcill.     Jubem  fie  Serneni  anfiebt. 

ft.  XtU^tim.  ®od),  granjt^fa,  inir  tuaren  adetit.  Iber 
ba  ba^  grciulciit  bcit  :^rtef  nidjt  ge(e[en  Ijat,  fo  ^abe  ic^  bir 
noc^  nicfjt^o  5U  fageu.  5 

^ranjigfa.  eo  ludren  ti>ir  bodj  allciu  ?  (Sie  t)abcn  t)or 
bcm  §eiTn  Sadjtmciftcr  fcine  (^)cl)eimnif]'e  ? 

tj.  2^cII^eim.    9icin,  fcinc. 

^ronji^fa.  ©(cid}iuo{)(,  biinft  mic^,  [ollten  (Sie  wddjt  t)or 
i()m  fjaben.  1° 

ti.  2:ca^cim.     Sic  ba§? 

SScrncr.     Sarum  ba§,  grauen^immerc^en  ? 

granjigfo.  ^cfonber^  @ef)ennni]"]e  t)ou  etuer  geiinffeit 
3lrt  —  a((e  s^i-''^^^U>  §crr  Sadjtmetfter  ?  Snbem  fie  beibe 
|)dnbe  mit  gcfprctUen  gtngcrn  in  bie  ^'oi)t  pit.  15 

SBcrncr.    et !  ft !  g-rauen^tmnicrdjen,  grauen^immcrc^cn ! 

t).  xmum.    Sa$  t)eij3t  ba^? 

grunji^f 0.    gui'd)  iff^  am  ginger,  §err  Sadjtmeifter  ? 

Sllg  ob  fie  einen  9ting  gcfd)n)inb  anf^edte. 

d.  2:cfl^cim.    Sa^  fjabt  i()r?  20 

SBcrncr.  grauen^imuicrdjen,  grauen3tmmerc^eTt,  <^ie  tnirb 
ja  mo^r  Spag  t)erftc()n  ? 

d.  3:cK5etm.  Senter,  bu  !jaft  bod)  ntd)t  tiergeffen,  \m^ 
id)  bir  mef)rma(  gefagt  Ijabe,  baj3  matt  itber  einett  getpiffen 
^^unft  mit  bcm  graiten^immcr  iiic  fdjcr^^cn  mu^  ?  25 

SBcrner.  ^ei  mciner  armcn  (Sectc,  id)  fattn'^  t)crgef[eu 
^abcu !  —  grauen5immcrd)ctt,  id)  bittc  — 

^ranjigftt.  9cun,  tnenn  e^  <Bpa^  gcincfcn  ift ;  ba^mat 
W'lii  id)  ed  -3t)tn  t)cr^ei()eu. 

n.  XcWm.     Scnn  id)  bentt  biird)aii§  fommcn  m:ig,  30 
gran5i6ta !  fo  mad)c  bod)  luir,  baf5  ba^  griiidein  bcu  -^ricf 
oor()er  nod)  ttcft.    X)a^  iuirb  niir  bic  ^einiguiig  crfparen, 


142  ^irtna  t)on  ^4Sarnf)etm. 

T)tm3C  nod)  cinmal  ,^u  beufcn,  nod)  einmal  ^u  facjen,  bte  tc^ 
fo  gern  t)ergeffcn  mod)te.    "A^a,  gieb  t()r  il)n !    3nbem  er  ben 

Srtef  um'fcbrt  unb  tl)r  tl)n  sureid)cn  toiU,  Jutrb  cr  gewabr,  ba^  er  eri>rod)en  ill. 

5lber  fel)e  id)  redjt?     SDer  ^rtcf,  grau^iofa,  ift  ja  cr^ 
5   brodjcu. 

granjisfo.     ^a§  !ann  tDol)(  fctn.     S3efie^tt^m     3Sa^r* 
I)aftic|,  cr  ift  crbrodjcn.     Ser  mii§  i^n  bcnn  erbvodjen 
t)aben?     I^od)  gckfcii  I)abctt  tnir  tl)n  linrf(id)  nid)t,  §crr 
iOtaior,  iDirfltd)  nid)t.     SiMr  woikn  il)n  and)  nid)t  Icfcn, 
10  beim  bcr  ^d)rcibcr  tommt  felbft.    £onnncn  (Sic  ja ;  nnb 
ipiffcn    (gie    ma^v  gcvr   SDIajor?     Hommen    @ie   nid)t 
fo,  U'ie  ^ie  ba  finb,  in  ©ticfcln,  !anm    frificvt.     @ie 
finb    ,3n   cntfd)nlbii3cn  ;   (Sic   l)abcn   nn§   nid)t   Dcrmntet. 
^ommen  <2k  in  <2d)ul)cn,  nnb  (affcn  (2ic  fid)  frifd)  fri== 
15  fieren.  —  So  fc()cn  Sie  mir  gar  ^n  brat),  gar  ^n  pren^ifd) 
an§! 
ft.  XtWit'm.    3d)  ^^^^^  ^^^%  granji^fa. 
^Jranjigftt.    Sie  fcl)cn  an§,  al§  ob  ®ie  Dorigc  9ta(^t  !am* 
:picrt  (jfittcn. 
20     ft.  S^cpcim.    ^n  lannft  e^  erraten  l)aben. 

Sronjiifa.     ^IMr  inollen  nn§  glcic^  and)  pnl^en  nnb  fo- 

bann  effen.     3Kir  bel)ic(ten  Sie  gcrn   ^nnt  (Sffen,  abcr 

3I)re  ©cgcmDart  mcid)tc  nn§  an  bcm  (Sffcn  t)inbern ;  nnb 

fe!)cn  ©ic,  fo  gar  Dcrlicbt  finb  mir  nid)t,  bag  nn^  ntd)t 

35  ^nngcrte. 

ft.  XtUf)c'm,  Sdj  ge!)' !  gran^i^la,  bercite  fie  inbc§  etn 
menig  t)or,  bamit  id)  iDcber  in  il)ren,  nod)  in  nieincn  5lngcn 
ncrdd)tli(^  mcrbcn  barf.  —  ^omm,  Scrncr,  liu  follft  niit 
niir  cffcn. 
30  SBcrner.  5(n  bcr  Sirt^tafd,  I)ier  im  .ganfc?  ^a  tnirb 
niir  fein  :33iffen  fd)ntcdcn. 
ft.  2eU^eim.    ^ei  mir  anf  ber  Stnbe. 


Sirittcr  ^uf.uig.     Sifter  ^uftritt.  143 

aScrner.    (So  fotgc  id)  Qi)ncn  g(cid).  9tur  nod)  ein  Sort 
mit  bcni  ivrauen5immerd)cn. 
ft.  2^efl^eim.    !Da^  gefdllt  mir  nid)t  iibcl !    ©e^t  a5. 


(5(ftcr  ^aiftrilt. 
jPttul  SScrner.     granji^fo.  5 

i?ronji0fa.    9]un,  §err  Sad)tmciftcr  ?  — 

aSerncr.  graucn3iiumerd)ett,  luenn  id)  micbcrfomme,  fo(( 
id)  aud)  gepuljter  fomirien  ? 

^ranjisfo.    -^omm'  (Sr,  iDie  (5r  n)i((,  §err  Sai^tmeiftcr  ; 
meine  5[iigcn  luerben  nid)t§  trtber  Qf}n  ftaben.    5lber  mcinc  lo 
£)\)vm  inerben  bcfto  mc{)r  auf  il)rer  §ut  gegcn  3^)^  Kin 
mitffen.  —  3^^^^5^9  S'^i^ger,  atle  t)o(ler  Qiingc !  (Si,  ci, 
§err  3Sad)tmeiftcr ! 

SBerner.  Dcein,  5rancn^immerd)en,  eden  ba§  wotif  id) 
Ql)v  no(^  fagen :  bie  Sdinnrre  ful)r  mir  nun  fo  I)erau§ !  15 
(S^  tft  nid)t^  bran.  9}?an  I)at  ja  moI)(  an  Ginem  ^xingc 
genug.  Unb  ^unbert  unb  adcr  I)unbcrtmal  f)a(ie  id)  hen 
dJlaiov  fagen  l)oren :  Ta^  nmj3  ein  Sd)ur!e  t)on  cinem 
(^olbaten  fein,  ber  ein  90Hbd)en  anfii!}ren  fann!  —  So 
benf  i^  au(^,  granen^immerdicn.  33crlaff  Sie  fid)  brauf !  20 
—  3'd)  mug  mad)en,  baj3  id)  i()m  nad)fomme.  —  ©utcn 
5lppetit,  grauen^immerdicn !  ®cbt  a&. 

^ranjisftt.  GUeidifad^,  §err  Sai^tmeiftcr  !  —  Qd) 
glaube,  ber  5D^ann  gefcidt  mir  I  Snbem  fie  ^ineinse^en  xoiU,  fommt 
i^r  ba^  ^Jrdutein  entgcgcn,  25 


144  ajitnrta  toon  Sornljclm. 

Stt)ii(ftcr  ^uftritt. 

^00  i^rauleiit.     $?rttnjigfa. 

^a§  S-rauIcin.  3ft  ber  DJtaior  fcI)on  tuicber  fort?  — 
gran^ivfa,  id)  glaubc,  tcfj  mdre  jetjt  fdjon  inicber  rul)ig 
5   genug,  bag  id)  i{)n  f)dttc  I)icr  bel)alten  fonnen. 

g-ranjigftt.    Unb  id)  \mii  @ie  nod)  ruf)igcr  mad)en. 

^a§  S-raukin.  ^efto  bcffer !  (Sein  -Q3rief,  o  fein  ^ricf ! 
3ebe  3ct(e  fprad)  ben  cl)vlid)cn,  eblen  Tlann.  Qcht 
SBcigerimg,  mid)  jn  bcfi^^en,  bcteuerte  mir  fcine  ^icbe.  — 
lo  (Et  iDirb  e§  nioI)l  gemertt  ()abcn,  ha^^  \mv  ben  -53rief  gelefen. 
—  0}?ac}  er  bod) ;  menn  er  nnr  f'dmmt.  (5r  fiimmt  bod)  gc- 
loig?  —  ^(og  ein  menig  in  oiet  <Sto(3,  gran^it^fa,  fd)eint 
mir  in  feiner  5luffiil)rung  ^n  fcin.  :I)enn  and)  feiner  ®e^ 
(iebten  fein  @[ii(f  nid)t  tnolfen  in  banfen  I)abcn,  ift  (Stofj, 
15  nnocr3ci[)(id)cr  (Stol^ !  3S?cnn  er  mir  biefcn  in  ftar!  merfen 
la^t,  granji^fa  — 

g-ranji^fo.    ©o  tnollcn  (Sic  feiner  entfagen  ? 

^o§  ^rdulein.    (vi,  fie()  bod) !     S^^'^^i^'ic^'^  ci*  ^^d)  nid)t 

fd)on  trieber?     3^ein,  (iebc  DIdrrin,  (Sine^  g-ef)(er§  iDegcn 

20  entfagt  man  !einem  OJtanne.    9^ein ;  aber  cin  ©treid)  ift 

mir  betgefadeu,  il)n  megen  bicfc^  (Stol3e§  mit  d()nlid)em 

(Stol^e  ein  irenig  in  martern. 

^ranjtgfa.  D'tnn,  ba  mitffen  ©ie  ja  red)t  fef)r  rnljig 
fein,  mein  grdnlcin,  inenn  3I)^en  fd)on  miebcr  ^trcid)e 
25  beifatten. 

^tt§  $?rtt«(cin.  Sd)  bin  e^  and) ;  !omm  nnr.  !4^n  luirft 
beine  ^ollc  babci  jn  fpicten  I)aben.    ©ie  sciicn  iiinein. 


fJSicricv   Sluf^ug^ 


drfter  5(uftritt. 

!Dte  (Scene ;  ta^  3tmnier  be^  ^rciulein^, 

2aB  i?roulctn  ^oUig  unb  ret*,  aber  mit  ®ef*mad  gcfleibet.    ^rttltjigftt. 

<Ste  ftef)en  »om  2;ifci}e  auf,  bcii  ein  Sebtetiter  abraumt.  5 

Sranjtgfa.     (Sie  fdnnen  itttmoglic^  fatt  fein,  gncibicje^ 
grciufcin. 

^o§  i^raufein.    DJleinft  bu,  gran^iSfa?     33ielleidjt,  bag 
id)  mid)  nidjt  {)uugrig  nicberfc^te. 

^ranjigfa,     S53ir  fatten  auv<gcma(^t,  fciner  iDaI}renber  10 
9}?at)^,eit  ntd)t  p  emalmen.    HBer  tuir  fjcitten  un^  aud) 
»orneI)Tnen  foKcn,  an  U]n  nidit  ^5U  bcnfcn. 

^ttg  griiufcitt.    Sirflid),  id;  I)abc  an  nidjtS  a(§  an  U)n 
gebadjt. 

Sronjisftt.    '^a§  merft'  td)  tr>oI)L    Qdj  ftng  tion  Ijunbcrt  15 
!r)mcjen  an  ^n  fprcd)cn,  unb  ^ic  antmortctcn  mtr  anf  jebes 

t)Crfet)rt.     Gin  anberer  SSebicntcr  tragt  Siam  auf.     ^\CV  fommt  einc 

9^al)ruu(^,  bet  ber  man  el}cr  C^riKcn  madjcn  fann.     ^er 
liebe,  me(and)oUfd)c  ^^affcc! 

^08  ^rdulctn.    (^ridcn  ?    ^c^  mad)e  feme.    Qdj  benfe  20 
b(og  ber  Vcftion  nad),  bic  ic^  it)m  geben  wiU,    ^aft  bu  mid) 
rec^t  begriffen,  granjt-Sta? 


146  ^IJiinna  bon  ^-8arn!)elm. 

iJronjilftt.    O  ja  ;  am  beften  aber  mar'  e^,  cr  erfpartc  fie 

Xa§  Srauletn.    I^n  trtrft  fel)en,  ha]^  id)  if}n  tjon  ©ntnb 

au^  kmic,     ^er  DJtann,  ber  mid)  jcljt  mit  alien  Dicid)^ 
5   tiimern  Dcmeigcrt,  tuirb  mid)  ber  gan^^cn  ^^elt  ftrcitiij 

mac^en,  fobalb  cr  l)ort,  ha^  id)  uualiicflid)  unb  tjerlaffcn 

bin. 
^^ranjigfo  fe^r  ernfikft.    Unb  fo  tra§  mu^  bie  feinfte  Gigen- 

(iebe  unenblid)  tit^cln. 
10     ^a§  Sriiukin.    (^ittenrid)terin !    <ScI)t  bod)!  t)orI)in  cr- 

tapptc  fie  mid)  auf  Gitclfcit,  jeljt  auf  Gigcnlicbe.  —  'Dtun, 

lag  mid)  nur,  liebc  gransi^fa.  3)u  follft  mit  bcincm  2Bad)t' 

meifter  and)  mad)cn  fonnen,  \m^  bu  \viii\t 
granji^ftt.    9Jtit  mcincm  3S>ad)tmcifter  ? 
15      ^tt0  i^rtiulein.     ^a^  ^^^cnn  hn  e^  t)o(fenb§  Icugneft,  fo 

ift  e^  rid)tig.  —  Qd)  r)abe  il)n  nod)  nid)t  gefet)en ;  aber 

au§  icbem  SSorte,  ba^  bu  mir  t)on  iljm  gefagt  l^aft,  pro- 

)3^e3eil)e  id)  bir  beinen  Qltann. 


Smeitcr  5(uftrttt.i 

20     Ottccaut  tie  (a  OKarlintere.     ^a0  ^riiuletn.    ^ranjisfa. 

IRtctttUt  Ttod)  tnner^alb  ber  ©cene.     Est-il  permis,  Monsieur 
le  Major  ? 

iJranji^ftt.     Sa^Siftba^?     Sid  ba§  3U  Un§?     ©egenbic 
Slfiiire  gcfeenb, 
25      OJiccout     Parbleu  !     ^f  bin  unriftig.  —  Mais  non  — 
^f  bin  nit  unriftig  —  C'est  sa  chambre  — 

gron^ilfo.    Wan^  gctrtj;,  gnabigc^  ?vrau(ein,  gtaubt  biefer 
^err,  ben  yjiajor  t)on  5:c((l)eim  nod)  ^ier  ^u  finben. 

^  See  Addendum. 


SBierter  ^ufaug.     3tt)eitcr  'Jtuftritt.  147 

IRiccttut.      -36  fo !  —  Le  Major  de  Tellheim  ;    juste, 
ma  belle  enfant,  c'est  lui  que  je  cherche.     Ou  est-il  ? 

gronji^fo.    (ir  mol)nt  nic^t  mel)r  [)icr. 

JRiccaut.    Comment?   nof  Dor  Dier  UTt  ftr»an3t!  (Stunb 
I)ier  (oQicr?     Hub  (ogier  nit  mcf)r  fjier?     2Bo  loiter  er  5 
benn  ? 

2a§  ^xdnkin  tie  auf  i^n  pfommt.    SQ^eitt  §err,  — 

Oticcttut.      Ah,   Madame,  —  Mademoiselle,   —  S^VO 
©nab  oer^eif)  — 

Xg§  ^rdulein.    9)2cin  ©err,  31)re  3rt*ung  ift  fefjr  511  oer=  10 
geben  unb  3^)ve  23cni:)unbcrimi}  i'cl)r  natlirltd).    ^er  gcrr 
2)Zajor  l)at  bie  ©iite  get)abt,  mir,  ai^  einer  grembett,  bie 
nicl)t  unter^ufommcit  tuuBte,  fein  ^iiTimcr  ^u  iiberlaffen. 

3Jlccout.     Ah,  voila  de  ses  politesses  !     C'est  un  tres-    . 
galant-homme  que  ce  Major  !  15 

^Qg  i^raulein.    2l'o  er  inbc^  Ijingc^ogen,  —  ira^r^aftig, 
id)  muj3  Btid)  fcfjauien,  c§  nidjt  3U  luiffcn. 

^iccaut.     3f)^'0  ^^'-■^'^  ^^^t  ini^?    C'est  dommage ;  j'en 
suis  fache. 

taB  groulcin.    Qdj  lydttt  mid)  a((erbing^3  banad)  er!un=  20 
bigen  foden.    greilid)  luerbeu  i()n  feine  greunbe  nod)  I)ier 
fuc^en. 

OJiccttut.    St  bin  fe^r  t)on  feine  greunb,  3I)ro  ©nab  — 

^ttg  gfrdulcin.    gran^i^fa,  tueigt  bu  e^  nic^t  ? 

^ran^i^ftt.    5tein,  gndbige^  grdufcin.    •  25 

9iiccout.    -3f  ()att  if)n  ^u  fpref  fel)r  notmenbif.    -3!  !omm 
i^m  bringen  eine  Nouvelle,  banon  er  fc()r  frolif  fciu  nnrb. 

ta§  griiulcin.     Qd)  bebaure  urn  fo  mi  meljr.  —  Tod) 
^offe  id),  t)ie((eid)t  balb  i()n  su  fpredjcn.    3ft  ^^  gteic^oiel, 
au^  ineffen  ^Jtunbe  er  biefe  gute  9cad)rid)t  erfdl)rt,  fo  crbiete  3° 
id)  midi,  mein  ."oerr  — 

dticcaut.     3f  Uerftef).  —  Mademoiselle  parte  fran9ais  ? 


148  ^Uiinno  bon  ^Qrnf)elm. 

Mais  sans  cloute  ;  telle  que  je  la  vois  !  —  La  demande 
etoit  bieii  impolie ;  Yous  me  pardonneres,  Mademoi- 
selle. 

XaB  i?tauletn.    Mtin  §err  — 
5       Oiiccttut.    Tdt?    ©ie  fpref  nit  gran^ofif^, -3!)ro  ©nab ? 

^a§  $?rouIein.    SJcein  §cnv  in  granfreicf)  luitrbe  tdj  e§ 

in  ipxcdjm  fudjen*    2(ber  tDarmn  l)icr?    -gii)  ^o^*^  K  bag 

®ie  mid)  Derftel)cn,  mcin  §en\     Unb   id),  mcin  ^cvx\ 

inerbe  @ie  gcmig  and)  t)erftel)en  ;   [prcd)cn  ©ie,  toie  e§ 

10  -31)nen  bclicbt. 

diktant.  mtir  (\\\nl  Qf  !ann  an!  mi!  anf  !4^entfd) 
e^pUjier.  —  Saches  done.  Mademoiselle,  —  3f)^*0  ©nab 
fo(t  alfo  m%  bag  i!  !omni  Don  bie  STafcl  bci  ber  9[y?in{ftcr 

—  9}cHnifter  uon  —  lH^iniftcr  t)on  —  mie  Ijcig  bcr  a)?inif= 
15  ter  t>a  brang?  —  in  ber  lange  @trag?  —  anf  bie  breite 

^(ar?- 
Xa§  ^xdnUin,    Qd)  bin  Ijier  nod)  Doflig  nnbe!annt 
dtmant    5cnn,  bie  9}(iniftci*  oon  bcr  ^riecj^bcpartcment. 

—  T^a  I)aben  i!  jn  Wittac^  fjcfpcifcn  ;  —  i!  fpeifen  a  I'ordi- 
20  naire  bei  il)m,  —  nnb  ha  ig  man  c5e!ommen  reben  anf  ber 

OJ^ajor  Xe(d)cim  ;  et  le  Ministre  m'a  dit  en  confidence, 
car  Son  Excellence  est  de  mes  amis,  et  il  n'y  a  point 
de  mysteres  entre  nous  —  (ge.  (S^TeHen^,  WiU  if  fag, 
I)abcn  mir  ucrtran,  'i)a^  bie  3a!  t)on  nnferm  ^JJ^ajor  fei  anf 

25  ben  Point  jn  enben,  nub  gntt  jn  enben.  (5r  l)abe  gema!t 
ein  Kapport  an  hm  ^oni!,  nub  ber  ^oni!  !)abe  baranf 
refodiir,  tout-a-fait  en  faveur  du  Major.  —  Monsieur, 
m'a  dit  Son  Excellence,  Vous  coraprenes  bien,  que  tout 
depend  de  la  maniere,  dont  on  fait  envisager  les  choses 

30  an  roi,  et  Vous  me  connoisses.  Cela  fait  un  tres-joli 
garden  que  ce  Telllieim,  et  ne  sais-je  pas  que  Yous 
I'aimes  ?     Les  amis  de  mes  amis  sont  aussi  les  miens. 


58ierter  ^tufsug.     Sii^citer  ^uftritt.  149 

II  coute  un  peu  cher  au  Eoi  ce  Tellheim,  mais  est-ce 
que  ron  sert  les  Rois  pour  rien  ?  II  faut  s'entr'aider 
en  ce  monde ;  et  quand  il  s'agit  de  pertes,  que  ce  soit 
le  Roi,  qui  en  fasse,  et  noii  pas  un  honnet-homme  de 
nous  autres.  Voila  le  principe,  dont  je  ne  me  depars  5 
jamais.  —  3Ba^  fag  S¥'o  ©nab  I)ter,^u?  Tdi  \mi)\',  ha^ 
ij  ein  brao  ^llMnn  ?  Ah !  que  Son  Excellence  a  le  coeur 
bien  place  !  (5r  t)at  mir  au  reste  Derfifer,  tDeim  ber  DJIajor 
ntt  fdjon  bcfommcn  l)abc  une  Lettre  de  la  main  —  einc 
^oniflifcn  ^anbbrief,  bag  er  Ijcut  infailliblement  miiffc  10 
befommen  eincn. 

^a§  ^rdulein.  ©etrig,  mciu  §err,  biefe  "Dlac^ridjt  iDtrb 
bem  OJ^ajor  t)on  XeKbcim  l}od)ft  angenef)m  fein.  Qii) 
un'mfdjte  mtr,  t()m  ben  grcunb  sugkid)  niit  'Xiamen  nennen 
ju  fonnen,  bcr  fo  nicl  ^^(ntcil  an  feincm  ®tiicfc  nimmt  —      15 

9ticcttut.  9}tcin  ^}tanien  wiinfdjt  Si)^'o  @nab  ?  —  Vous 
vo3^es  en  moi  —  3[)i*t)  ©nab  fet)  in  mtf  le  Chevalier 
Biccaut  de  la  Marliniere,  Seigneur  de  Pret-au-val,  de 
la  Branche  de  Prens-d'or.  —  Q\)vo  @uab  ftel)  tiemmnbert, 
mi!  au^  fo  ein  c^vo%  grog  gamilte  ^n  ()oren,  qui  est  veri-  20 
tablement  du  sang  Royal.  —  II  faut  le  dire ;  je  suis 
sans  doute  le  Cadet  le  plus  avantureux,  que  la  maison  a 
jamais  eu  —  Qt  bten  tjon  metner  elfte  S^^)^'-  ^i^  Affaire 
d'honneur  matte  mif  f(ie!)cn.  ^aranf  l)aben  if  gebienet  'Bv, 
^dpftlifen  ($i(ifl)eit,  ber  9xepnb(i!  Bt  Wav'mo,  ber  .^ron  '^o-^  25 
(en  unb  ben  Staaten^^eneral,  hb$  if  enbti!  bin  morbcn  ge^^o* 
gen  l)ierf}er.  Ah,  Mademoiselle,  que  je  voudrois  n'avoir 
jamais  vu  ce  pays-la !  ^citte  man  mif  getag  im  ^ienft 
Don  ben  3taaten=(53enera(,  fo  miigt  i!  nun  fein  anf^  nienifft 

2.  5>gt.  Cafontainc^  Le  lion  et  le  rat:  11  se  faut  entr'aider,  c'est  la  com- 
mune loi.  —  IS  f.  Ta^  iinirbc  itngcfabr  auf  Xcutfd)  (unilen  :  ^crr^on  ®d)ul= 
bentfed,  ttoni  Stamme  9iimm  (ba^  (ct'.tcre  ift  tl}uvtn8ifcl)c  SfJebcn^art). 


150  5!Jiinnot)on^-8orn'^eltn. 

Dkrft    W)cv  fo  (){cr  tmmer  unb  eiuif  Capitaine  t3ebUclien, 
unb  nun  gar  fein  ein  abgebanfte  Capitaine  — 
^ttg  g-voulcin.    !4^a§  ift  uicl  llngUicf. 
JRiccout.    Oui,  Mademoiselle,  me  voilii  reforme,  et  par- 

5    la  mis  sur  le  pave  ! 

2)a§  i^riiulcin.    ^d]  be!(age  fet)r. 

Oticcout.  Voiis  etes  bien  bonne,  Mademoiselle.  — 
5)2cin,  man  !enn  fif  I)ier  nit  anf  ben  i^crbicnft.  Gincn 
^^ann  \vk  mif  fu  rcformtr !    (Sinen  ^Wann,  bcr  fif  no!  bafu 

10  in  bicfem  !4}icnft  l)at  ruinir !  —  3t  i)t^bcn  baki  fugcfclit 
mcljv  al§  fmanfif  taufcnb  Livres.     2i^a$  f)ab  if  nun? 
Tranchons  le  mot,  je  n'ai  pas  le  sou,  et  me  voila  ex- 
actement  vis-a-vis  du  rien.  — 
3a0  i^riiulem.    (5^  tf)ut  mtr  ungemein  (eib. 

15  Sticcttut.  Vous  etes  bien  bonne,  Mademoiselle.  5(ber 
\m  man  pffcg  5U  fagcn:  ein  jeber  Unglitcf  fcf)(c|3p  na!  fif  feme 
^ruber  ;  qu'un  malheur  ne  vient  jamais  seul :  fo  mit 
niir  arrivir.  3Ba$  ein  Honnet-homme  Hon  nieiu  Extrac- 
tion fann  anber§  ^aben  fitr  Eesom-ce  ai^  ba^  ^piel  ?  '}tun 

20 1)ab  if  tmmer  gefpiefen  mit  ©fiicf,  fo  fang  if  l)attc  nit  oon- 
niiten  ber  (^IM.  9lun  if  il)r  l)dtte  uonnliten,  Mademoi- 
selle, je  joue  avec  un  guignon,  qui  surpasse  toute 
croyance.  (geit  funffel)n  ^ag  i§  uergangcn  feine,  wo  fie 
mif  nit  I)ab  gcfprenft.    '^tof  geftern  I]ab  fie  mif  gefprenft 

2$  breimal.  Je  sais  bien,  qu'il  y  avoit  quelque  chose  de 
plus  que  le  jeu.     Car  parmi  mes  pontes  se  trouvaient 

4.  reform(?,  at^gcbanft.  a>g(.  ©rimmcl^^aufcn  I,  284,  3.  11.  310,  3. 
23.  —  12.  ®crabe  f)cvau^  gcfagt.  2>gl.  dampiftron,  5(mfterbam  1722.  (B. 
187.  — 26.  Pontes,  bie  <SpieIcr,  bie  fid)  am  <B\>kU  gcgcn  ben  Sanqutcr 
Beteiligen,  getDobnlirf)  ?Potntciir<?  genannt.  Sc^tcren  SUt^brucf  Icitet  man  ba^ 
son  ab,  baj?  bte  babituellen  ©vieler  fid)  ben  2Iu^fd)Iag  ber  ^arkn  mtt  Sterf^ 
Tiabelfti*cn  marficrtcn.  T^od)  mogfid^  \:'a^  bicfe  QlMciUmg  gan^  fa(fdi  ift, 
benn  Seffing  ift,  leiber!  ^ierin  5lutoritat.   5lud)  bie  S'r^iniofen  fagen  fo«  ipgl. 


Alerter  ^lufjufl.     3h)eitcr  ^uftrttt.  151 

certaines  dames  —  Qt  n)t((  nif^  Wdkv  fag.  9)Zan  mug 
fein  gatant  gegen  bte  5)amen.  (Sie  l)aben  auf  luif  ()eut  in- 
vitir,  mtr  |U  ijeben  revanche  ;  mais  —  Vous  m'entendes, 
Mademoiselle  —  Man  muJ3  crft  m^,  iDODon  (cben^  el}e 
man  fjaOen  faun,  ipooon  |u  fpielen.  —  5 

Xa§  i?raulcin.    34  ^^i^^  ^ii^j^  i)offcn,  metn  .^crr  — 

9Jtccout.     Vous  etes  bien  bonne,  Mademoiselle  — 

Xa§  ^riiulcin  nimmt  bte  O^ranji^fa  bei  @eite.  grany^fa,  ber 
Mann  bauert  mid)  tm  (Srnfte.  Cb  er  mtr  e^  ido()1  iibet 
nel)men  iDiirbe,  tucntt  id)  t()m  ettnaS  anbote?  10 

Sranjigftt.    "4)er  fief)t  mtr  ntdjt  battad)  au^. 

Xa§  i^riiulein.  ®ut !  —  9)Zeiit  §err,  id)  I)t)re,  —  ba^  'Bk 
fptelen,  ba^  Sic  -^anf  madjcn,  oI)nc  3^^c^f*^^  ^^^  Drtcn,  tuo 
etwa^  3U  gerDinnen  ift  Sd)  i^itJ3  3^)1^^^  befennett,  bag  id) 
—  gteic^fad^  ha^  Bpki  [el]r  Uebe.  —  15 

O^tccaut.  Taut  mieux,  Mademoiselle,  taut  mieux! 
Tous  les  gens  d'esprit  aiment  le  jeu  a  la  fureur. 

^a0  ilfroufcin.     S^ag  ic^  fel)r  gertt  geiDtmtc,  fel)r  gern 
mcitt  (i^elb  mit  einem  ^Dhiutte  tnagc,  ber  —  ^u  fpteCen  tueig. 
2i3arett  Bk  luo()(  Gettetgt,  metit  §crr,  mtc^  in  ©efeWfdjaft  20 
3U  nc{)mctt  ?  mtr  eittcn  ^Ititctt  an  ^i)ixv  ^ant  ^n  gottnett  ? 

JRiccout.  Comment,  Mademoiselle,  Vous  voules  etre 
de  moitie  avec  moi  ?     De  tout  mon  coeur. 

^tt0  ??raufcin.     giir^  erfte  nur  mit  eitter  ^leiitigfett  — 

&ibt  unb  langt  ®c(b  au^  tbrcr  3*atu(Ie.  25 

Oiiccttut.      Ah,    ISIademoiselle,    que   Vous  etes   char- 

mante  !  — 
^00  ^riiulctn.    §ier  '{)ahc  id),  \va^  \d}  o^nlangft  getDott^ 

and)  S.  %.  St.  ^pffmann^  Seben  unb  9?a*Iap.  II,  115 :  „®ar  pt  gern  bcitte 
er  fid)  etn  ©itmmcben  erpontiert  son  bem  aufgefdbiitteten  JReiAtum",  unb 
baju  ^fei^ig-:?  5lnnierfung:  „(£o,  nidu  potntieren,  intc  (^  gmiobnlid)  ge-= 
f.bicht,  ifollte  |)pfTmann  immcr  ba^  SBort  gcf>1>rteben  wiffen".  —  17.  T)amit 
foil  Seffing  fclbil  fetne  9?cigunci  jum  Spiel  entfi}ulbigt  ^aben. 


152  yjHnrta  t)on  58arn]^elnt. 

nen,  nur  jeljn  ^iftolm  —  id)  mug  mid)  jiuar  fdjiimen,  fo 
luenig  — 

dtittant,      Doniies    toujours,    Mademoiselle,    donnes. 

9cimmt  e^. 

5       ^og  grtiukin.     CI)ne  3^^^^f^0  ^ti§  ^l)xc  -^an!,  mm 
$eiT,  fet)r  anfcl)Tilidj  ift  — 

Sticcttut.    ^aiuo()(,  fcl)r  anfef)n(ii    (Se^n  ^iftol?    3!)r 

@nab  foil  fctn  bafitr  interessir  bei  memer  -53an!  auf  ein 

1)reiteiO  pour  le  tiers.    (3it3ar  auf  ein  T)reitei(  foden  fein 

10  —  ettna^  mc{)r.    !^o!  mit  cincr  fdjdne  !l)amm  tnuj  man  e^ 

ne^men  nit  fo  genau.    3f  cjratulier  mit  fu  fommen  ha^ 

bur!  in  liaison  mit  -3!^ro   @nab,  et  de  ce  moment  je 

recommence  a  bien  augurer  de  ma  fortune. 

^ttg  ^raulcin.    Qd)  faun  aber  uidjt  babei  fein,  n^cnn  ^Bk 

15  fpielen,  mein  §cit. 

«Riccttut.    SBa§  brau!  SI)yo  (S3uab  babei  fu  fein?    Sir 
anbern  (Spieler  finb  el)rlite  ?eut  unter  einanber. 

^a§  i^roulcin.    3i>enn  inir  glitdlid)  finb,  mein  $err,  fo 
iDerben  2ie  mir  mclnen  Slnteil  fdjon  bringen.    @inb  mir 
20  abcr  ung(iid(id)  — 

Uittaut.    ®o  fomm  i!  ^olcn  9?e!ruten.    9^it  tr>al}r,  Q\)xo 
©nab? 

^00  gfriiulein.  5Iuf  bie  Stlnge  biirften  bic  9?e!ruten  fe()Ien. 
^erteibigcn  <2ic  unfer  ©clb  ba()er  ja  tDoIjt  mein  ©err. 
25     9ticctt«t.     STC^ofitr  fel)  mif -31)^0  @nab  an?    giir  ein  (Sin- 
fal^^pinfe  ?  fiir  ein  bumme  Xeuf  ? 
^a§  i?frdulcin.    iBcr^ciljen  ©ie  mir  — 
9JtccQUt.     Je  suis  des  Bons,  Mademoiselle.      Savez- 
vous  ce  que  cela  veut  dire  ?     Qt  bin  Don  bie  5lu§ge* 
30  (crnt  — 

^o§  ^rauletn.    5(ber  bod)  \vd\)h  mein  §err  — 
IRtccaut.     Je  sais  monter  un  coup  — 


SSicrtcr  ^:}(uf3ug.     ^luciter  ^luftvitt.  153 

9JiccQut.     Je  file  la  carte  avec  uiie  adresse  — 
3ol  Sfraulein.    :)itmniermel)r ! 

Oiiccaut.    Je  fais  sauter  la  coupe  avec  une  dexterite  — 
^tt0  ^rdulcin.    ^ie  li^crben  bodj  nidjt,  mcin  gierr  ?  5 

9JiccQut.    '^a^  nit  ?    Q\)VO  ©nabc,  \va^  nit  ?    Donnes- 
raoi  un  pigeonneau  a  plumer,  et  — 
^U  griiulcin.    Jyalfdj  ]ptc(cn?  bctriigcu? 
Oiiccaut.     Comment,  Mademoiselle  ?      Voiis  appelles 
cela  betnU3eTr?      Corriger  la  fortune,  I'enchainer  sous  lo 
ses  doits,  ctre  sur  de  son  fait,  bai^  ncnu  bic  reutjd)  be^ 
triigen  ?    i^etritgen !    C  \vai!>  tft  bic  beutfdj  ^praf  fiir  ein 
arm  Bpvai !  fiir  ein  plnnip  8prat ! 
^og  i^riiulcin.    ^3ccin,  mein  §crr,  mcnn  2ic  fo  bcnfcn  — 
Oiiccaut.      Laisses-moi  faire.   Mademoiselle,   unb  fein  15 
(Bit  rnt}if!     Sac^  gc()n  3ic  an,  \vk  if  fpicl?  —  cs)nnt], 
ntorcjcn  entlDcber  fcljn  niif  uncbcr  3i)vo  (^nab  mit  i)imbert 

2.  geffing  fagt  im  lagebud)  feiner  ita(ientfd)cit  9?etfc  »om  31.  Sluguft: 
„5Benn  er  (^£t)e5?rier)  in  fetnem  Colporteur  ben  iSpieler^terminus  filer  crflaren 
ivill,  fijgt  cr  in  eincr  ^^^Otc:  Dans  un  Dictionnaire  Piemontois  traduit  du 
Saxon,  on  apprend  que  tiler  la  carte,  c'est  la  convertii  adroitement  de 
perte  en  gauv  —  6  f.  ©ckn  Sie  mil  ein  J^vtubdH^n  su  rupfen.  b.  i).  cinen 
e&rlid)en,  uncrfaf)renen  Spicier  ju  bctriic:;:.  9Jiemc*>er  mad>t  in  [cmem  .^'om^ 
mentar  au^  bem  3;aubd^en  ein  •&ii(ntd)en.  —  10.  ©ubraner,  2.  2lufl.,  II,  045 
citiert  ein  i^vibrenb  be^  Tjabngcn  .ftricgc-o  ju  Sonbon  erl\ttenencg  33ud^ :  L"his- 
toire  des  Grecs,  ou  de  ceux  {\m  corrigent  la  fortune  au  jeu.  Xcr  Pen  ^ef* 
fing  (ctben)  citierte  S&esrier  ncnnt  Singe  ®oubarD  al^  beffen  25crfaffer.  Grecs 
finb  falfd^e  (Spieler.  S5gl.  5)?ercier,  Tableau  de  Pans.  IV.  26.  Sanipiftron, 
Oeuvres,  Slmfterbam  1722.  S.  185.  Sterne,  gjorif,  *}3?ann^eim  17SU.  Ill, 
132.    Skitter,  „T)k  krii^mte  grau"  (Pon  ^J^rmont) ; 

2Bo  ©riec^en,  untermifc^t  mit  2Bei[en, 
Eelebritaten  atler  9lrt 
3]crtraulid)  une  in  Sbaron^  ^ahu  gcpaart, 
9ta  cincm  2;ifd)  jufamntcn  [peifen. 


154  SUtinna  Don  ^-i3arnl;elm. 

^tftof,  ober  feft  mif  iDiebcr  gar  ntt  —  Votre  tres-humble, 
Mademoiselle,  votre  tres-humble  —  (Silent^  ah. 

^a§  SriiMicin  i'i^  i^)«^  niit  (Srftauncn  unb  ^crbru§  nat^fie^t.     Qd) 
iDunfdje  ha^  le^te,  mein  ©err,  ba^  Icl^tc! 


5  fritter  5(uftritt. 

XaB  ^rdulcin.     ^ronji^fa. 

^ranjigf 0  erMttert.     ^ann  id)  noc^  rebcn  ?     D  fdjcin !  o 
fdjon  1 
^a§  ^rdnUin,    (^potte  nur ;  t(^  oerbicne  c^.    9fad}  mm 
10  flemcn  9Iad)benfen  unb  gelaffener.    ©potte    ntdjt,    gran^t^fa  ;     id) 

ijerbtene  e§  nid)t. 

i^ranjisfa.    ^ortrcfflid) !  ha  \)ahcn  (Sic  etit)a§  aUerliebftc^ 
getl)an  :  einem  (gpitjbubcn  uncbcr  auf  bic  ^^cinc  cjel)olfcn. 
^o§  i^rdulcin.    i^tS  inar  eineui  llrtcjliidlidjcn  jugcbadjt. 

15  i^rttttjt^fa.  Unb  iDa§  ba§  -^cftc  babci  ift :  ber  l^erl  I)a(t 
©te  fiir  fcinei^gletdjcn,  —  O,  id)  muf3  itjm  nad)  unb  iljnt 
ha^  @elb  mieber  abne^nien.    2Bta  fort. 

^og  groulcin.    granji^fa,  laj3  ben  ^affce  ntdjt  DoIIcnb^ 
Mi  UKvbcn  t  fdjent'  ein. 

20  $?ronjt§fo,  (vr  niu^  c§  Siwn  tDiebergcbcn  ;  Sie  Ijabcn 
fid)  anber§  befonncn ;  (2ic  wolkn  niit  il)m  nidjt  in  @efctl== 
fc^aft  fptc(cn.  i5ct)n  ^tfto(cn !  @ie  Ijbrten  ja,  grdulcin, 
ha^i  e^  Ctn  Settler  Unn* !  Dag  ^-rduldit  fd)cnft  tnbc^  felbft  ein.  3Bcr 
tt)irb  cincm  Pettier  fo  inel  geben  ?    Unb  il)nt  nod)  ba^u  bie 

25  Grnicbriiiuni],  c^  crbcttcit  ju  l)abcn,  3U  crfparen  fud)cn  ? 
!4^en  ^Hlbtl)dtit3cn,  bcr  ben  :^ett(cr  au^J  ®roJ3mut  ocrfcnncn 
trin,  t)erfcnnt  ber  Settler  iDieber.  5^un  mbgcn  <Sic  eci 
^aben,  Stdulcin,  iDenn  er  Qi)vc  @abe,  id)  tueig  nidjt  mofitr 


5Bietter  ^ufsug.     fritter  ^uftritt.  155 

anfietjt  —  Unb  ret(i)t  ber  gran.^igfa  eine  Saffe,      Soden  (^ie  tUtr 
ba^  -^(ut  nod)  mel)r  in  Si^aKung  bringen  ?    3c^  mag  nid)t 

trtnfen.      Tai  graulein  feiu  [ie  iineber  trcg.      „Parbleu,    3^r0 

©nab,  man  fenn  fit'  l)ier  nit  anf  hm  i>erbienft."  3n  bem  Xonc 
be^  ^ranaofert.     greilid)  nid)t,  luenn  man  bie  (gpttjbnben  [o   5 
nngeljangeii  Ijerumtaufen  tdgt. 

^o§  Srdulein  fait  unb  nad^benfenb,  inbem  fte  trtnft.  SDZcibdjen,  ^U 
t)erfte()ft  bid)  fo  trcfftid)  anf  bic  gnten  0}^cnid)en ;  aber, 
luenit  miiit  bn  bic  id)tcd)len  crtragcii  tcrnen? — Unb  fie 
finb  bod)  and)  ^D^enfd)cn.  —  Unb  c)fter^  bei  iceitem  fo  10 
fd)(cd)te  lDtcnfd)cn  iud)t,  at^  fie  fd)einen.  —  iDhn  mug  it)re 
gnte  8eitc  nur  anffud)en.  —  3d)  biihc  mir  ein,  biefcr  gran= 
;jofe  ift  nid)t^  at^  eiteL  %u^  blower  (Sitelfeit  mad)t  er  fic^ 
gnm  fatfd)cn  s^picter  ;  er  unit  mir  nid)t  Dcrbnnben  fd)einen  ; 
cr  unti  fid)  ben  '^an!  erfparcn.  iBietIeid)t,  bag  er  nnn  t)in=  15 
get)t,  feine  Heincn  ®d)ntbcn  be3al)tt,  oon  bem  9^efte,  fo  ircit 
er  reid)t,  ftitt  nnb  fparfam  lebt  nnb  an  ba^  Spiet  nid)t  bentt. 
2Bcnn  ha^  ift,  liebe  jjran^i^fa,  fo  lag  it)n  9^efruten  t)olcn, 
trenn  er  loill.  —  ®ici)t  il^x  bie  laffe*  :5)a,  fcl^  meg !  —  5(bcr, 
fage  mir,  fodte  Xc(I()cim  nid)t  fd)on  ^a  fein?  20 

Sranji^fa.  9icin,  gndbigc^  grdutcin  ;  t(^  fanit  bcibc^ 
nid)t,  mcber  an  einein  fd)(ed)ten  lU^enf^en  hk  gnte,  nod)  an 
eincm  gnten  9Jtcnfd)en  bie  bcife  ^cite  anffudien. 

^og  i^roulein.    ill*  fommt  bod)  gan^  gcioig?  — 

Sronji^fa.     (Sr  foflte  mcgbteiben !  —  (gie  bcmerfcn  an  25 
t()iii,  an  it)m,  bem  beften  9]?anne,  ein  menig  ^tot^,  nnb  t)a-^ 
rnm  molten  3ie  itjii  fo  granfam  ned'en? 

^o§  Sriiurctn.    ^ommft  bn  ba  micbcr  I>tn?  —  ^din^cig  ; 
ba>3  null  id)  nnn  einmat  fo.    $!}o  bn  mir  biefe  i^uft  ncrbirbft, 
mo  bn  nid)t  a((c^  fagft  nnb  tt)uft,  mie  mir  e^  abgercbct  30 
t)aben !  —  Qdj  unit  bid)  fc^on  aftein  mit  it)m  faffcn,  nnb 
bann 3ctit  tdmmt  er  moI)(. 


156  minna  Don  ^-Baniljelm. 


mnttv  5luftritt. 

^ttUl  SBcrner,  ber  in  einer  fteifen  (StcUung,  g(etd)fam  tm  2)ienfte,  ^creiutvitt. 
®ttS  griiulein.     granjigfo. 

ijrttnjtiftt.    S^ein,  e^  tft  iiur  fcin  Ucber  Sadjtmctftcr. 
5       ^a§  graulcin.    ^khtx  Sadjtiucifter?     Sluf  inen  liqieljt 

fid)  bicfcci  I'ieber  ? 
Sranjisftt.     ©uabtge§  grdulein,  inadjcn  (Sie  rtitr  ben 

Mann  nidjt  i^emtrrt.  —  3l)re  :4^ienerin,  gcrr  SBadjt= 

mcifter ;  ir»a^  bringcn  (3ie  un^  ? 
10       aSerner  ge^t,  o^ne  auf  bic  ^ran^if^fa  gu  ad)tcn,  an  ba^  ^rciuletn.    !l^cr 

ai^ajor  Don  2:eni)cun  lajlt  an  ba^  gndbigc  Jvrdn(ein  t)on 

iBorn()clm  burd)  mid),  ben  Sadjtmetfter  il^crner,  fctnen 

nntcrtljdmgen  9ie|pe!t  nennelben  unb  fagen,  ha^  er  focjteid) 

l)icr  fcin  merbc. 
15      ^a§  ^raulcin.    So  Meibt  cr  benn? 

SBerner.     3t)i'o  @naben  lucrben  t)er<ietl)en  ;  tnir  finb  nod) 

t)or  bem  (Sd)(at3e  brei  an^  bcm  Cuartier  gegant^en  ;  aber  ba 

^at  il)n  ber  ^necj^3al)hneiftcr  nntermcgen^  angcrebt ;  iinb 

tretl  mit  bero{eid)en  §errn  be§  9xeben^  iminer  fein  (5nbe 
20  tft,  fo  gab  er  mir  einen  SKinf,  beni  gndbigcn  grdulein  ben 

S)orfa((  ,^n  rapportieren. 
Xa§  ^rmk'm.     dicdjt  lr>oI)(,  §err  Sad)tmeiftcr.     3d) 

nninfdie  nnr,  ha%  ber  .Qrieg^5at)Inteiftcr  bcm  DJiajor  elina^ 

5(ngcncl)iiie§  moge  ,^n  fagen  ()aben. 
25      SBcrncr.    Ta§  f)abcn  bergleidien  $crren  ben  Cffi^ieren 

felten.  —  §abcn  Qi)YO  @naben  ci\m^  ^n  befel)len?    3m 

Scgriff,  nncbcr  ju  gckn. 

i^ronjigfo.      Dhm,  mo    benn    fd)on    uncber    l)in,  §crr 
$Bad)tmeifter  ?    §dtteu  wix  benn  nid)t^  mit  einanber  jn 
30  ptanbern  ? 


iBierter  ^uf^jug.     ^Junflcr  ^luftritt.  157 

SSerner  fac^te  ju  granjt^fa,  unb  ernft()aft.  §ier  md)t,  grauen- 
gimmerdjett-  (Sc^  ift  miber  beu  yiefpeft,  wiber  bk  Suborbi- 
nation.  —  @nabige^3  grduletn  — 

XaB  Jraulem.    Qdj  hank  fiir  3cine  ^emiifjnng,  .f)cvv 
Sad)tincifter.  —  (f^  ift  niir  lieb  ijeiucfen,  3^)^  fcnncn  ^,n   5 
lernen.    STan5ii5!a  t)at  mir  t)ic(  (s)ntei5  uoii  3^)^^^  Qcfatjt. 
SSerner  mac^t  eine  i^eife  SJerbeugung  unb  ge^t  at. 


gunftcr  §(uftritt. 

^a§  ^rduletn.     t^ranjisfa. 

^00  f^roufctn.    !4^a^  ift  bein  $}ad)tmeiftcr,  Jran^i^fa  ?     10 
^ranjigfa.    5li'c(]en  bcc>  fpbttifdjen  Xone^5  Ijabe  id)  nidjt 

3cit,  biefeS  Xein  nod)nialc>  auf^uumt^eu. 3a,  gnd= 

biije«?  grdntein,  ba^5  ift  mein  iiHidjtineifier.  (Bit  finbcn  i()n 
o^nc  3^^^if^^  ci^  ^"^^^O  ft^^f  ^"^  f)b(scrn,  Qciit  tarn  er  mir 
faft  and)  fo  uor,  5Iber  id)  merfc  ido()(,  cr  glanbte,  uor  3^)^'o  ^5 
(S^naben  anf  bie  ']?arabe  3iel)en  gu  mitffen.  Unb  mcnn  bie 
©olbatcn  parabicren,  ja  frcilid)  fd)einen  fie  ba  me()r  Xred)o= 
(erpnppcn  aUi  ^DZiiniicr.  eic  fodten  i()n  Ijingcgeu  nur  fe()n 
unb  f)i)ren,  mcun  er  fid)  felbft  cjclaffcn  ift. 
^o§  iyraulein.    TM  mii^te  id)  benn  mof)(.  20 

Sronji^fo.    C5r  mirb  nod)  anf  bem  2aaic  fcin.    3^arf  id) 
nid)t  i3c[)n  unb  ein  menitj  mit  i()m  ptaubern? 

Xa§  iyraufein.   ^d)  uerfage  bir  nnijern  bicfe^  ^^ergnitcjcn, 
!Du  inuBt  t)ier  blciben,  gran^iefa.    Tu  muf^t  bci  nnfcrcr 
Unterrebung  getgenradrtig  fein !  —  (5^3  fdltt  mir  nod)  etma§  25 
bci.    Sie  gtef^t  if>ren  $Rtng  ^pm  finger.    !5^a,  nimm  mcincn  'Jiing, 
t)cnt)af)rc  if)n  nnb  gicb  mir  be^  DJhjor^  fcinen  bafiir. 

19.  ®cfd>e  cttiert  au^  bem  6.  Sluftritt  ber  „3uben" :  „bie  fic^  felbil  ge^ 
laffene  S'^atur". 


158  3Jiinna  bon  53arnl)elm. 

g-ronjt0fa.    323arum  ha^  ? 

^a§  Srdulein  inbem  O'^anji^fa  ben  anbern  (Ring  :^oIt.     ^cd)t  ineij^ 
id)  e§  fclbft  nidjt;  aber  mid)  biinft,  id)  fctjc  )'o  etma^  uorciu^, 
wo  id)  il)n  braudjcn  fomite.  —  3}hn  podjt.  —  ©efdjiniub 
5    gieb  I)er  !     ©ie  ftectt  iU  an.    (vr  tft'§  ! 


Sc^fier  ^tuftritt. 

ft.  ^cB^eim  in  bem  namltd)en  ^1eibe,  akr  fonj^  fo,  tok  e^  ^ranji^fa 
serlangt.    ^a§  i^riiulcin.     grunji^fa. 

n.  XcUf)tm,  ©ncibigc^  graulein,  ©ie  inerben  mcin  ^^er- 
10  \mkn  entfdjulbigcn.  — 

Xa§  ^vdnUin,    O,  ©err  9}Zaj;or,  fo  gar  miUtdrifd)  tDolfcn 

iDir  e^  mit  cinanber  nidjt  nefjmen.    ^ic  finb  j;a  ha\    Unb 

ein  33eri3niti3en  cnuartcu  ift  and)  ein  33crc|nit(5en.  —  9^un? 

Snbem  fte  i{)m  iacf)e(nb  in^  &t\w  fie^t.   liebcr  ^ellljeim,  tDarett  ipir 

15  nidjt  t)or()in  Itinber? 

ti.  ^cU^eim.  Qa  \vo\)U  ^inber,  cjnabicje^  ?5'rau(ein,  ^in- 
ber,  bie  fid)  fperreii,  wo  fie  ge(affcn  folgen  follten. 

^a§  graulein.  Sir  iDolIen  aiii^fa()ren,  lieber  OJIajor,  — 
bie  ®tabt  ein  wcnu]  in  befefjen,  —  nnh  ^ernad;  metnem 
20  £)I}eim  entgegen. 

ti.XcUWmu    Sie? 

^a§  i^riiulcin.  ^e()en  (Sie,  and)  ba§  SKidjtigfte  (jabcn 
tDir  einanber  nod)  nidjt  fagcn  fdnncn.  Qa,  er  trifft  nod) 
^eut  Ijier  ein.  (gin  5"f^^^  ift  <SdjuIb,  ha^  id)  einen  S^^atj 
25  frii()er  oljne  il)n  angcfommcn  bin. 

D.  2:efl^cim.    ^tx  ©raf  lion  :53riidjfan?    3ft  cr  suritd? 

^o§  5va«Jcin.  '^ie  llnrn^en  be^  ^ticgc^  ticrfdjcudjtcn 
iljn  nad)  ^t^^^icn  ;  ber  gricbe  t)at  i^n  trieber  juriidgpbradjt. 


SSierter.  ^ufjug.     ©ed)fter  ^uftritt.  159 

—  SOhdjen  ®ie  fid)  !eine  ©ebanfen,  ^e(If)etm.  ^eforgten 
mx  fd)on  e()ema(^  ba^  ftdrffte  ginbenu^  unferer  i^evbinb- 
ung  Don  fetner  (Sette  — 

b.  XiUt)nm,    Unferer  i^erbtnbnncj  ? 

Xa§  grdulcin.    (ir  ift  S¥'  greunb.  Gr  ^at  t)on  ^n  Dielen   5 
gu  Dtc(  (^nte^  Don  3()^en  gelibrt,  iiin  c^  nidjt  3U  fetn.    C£r 
brennt,  ben  9^^lnn  uon  3lntlitj  ^n  fennen,  ben  feine  ein^ige 
(grbtn  geiDdl)lt  ()at.    (Sr  fontmt  al^  D^etm,  aU  i^ormnnb, 
aU  ^Hitcr,  mid)  31)^en  sn  itbergeben. 

tj.  XcUf)t'm.     5(1),  grdnlein,  marum  Tjaben  (Sie  meinen  10 
^rief  nid)t  gelefen?    Sti^armn  I)aben  ^ie  ilju  nid)t  (efen 
tDoden? 

®og  ^roulcin.    Q{)vcn  ^rief?     ^a,  id^  erinnere  mic^, 
(^ie  fd)icften  mir  einen.     Sie  n)ar  e^  benn  mit  biefem 
^^riefe,  granji^fa  ?     §aben  tuir  if)n  t3efcfen,  ober  l)aben  15 
it)ir  if)n  nid)t  gelefen  ?    ^i'a-S  fd)rieben  Bk  mir  benn,  Ueber 
Xe(I()cim  ?  — 

ti.  XcUt}tm.    Tdd)t^,  aU  \va^  mir  bie  (S!)re  befief)(L 

^a0  I'Vrdufcin.    S^a§  ift,  ein  e{)rlid)e§  ^Il^abd)en,  bie  Bk 
tiebt,  nid)t  fil^en  ^n  laffen.     greilid)  Oefie()(t  ba§  bie  &)xc.  20 
G3cuitj3,  id)  i)dtte  ben  ^rief  (efen  fo((en.    5(ber  wa^  id)  nid)t 
ge(efen  ()abe,  ba§  ()bre  id)  ja. 

ti.  2:cfl^ctm.    Qa,  8ie  fo((en  e^  ()oren  — 

XaS  ^v'anUin.  ';)(ein,  id)  hvaiidy  e^  anc^  nid)t  einmal  ju 
l)oren.  ($-3  Dcrfte()t  fid)  Don  fe(bft.  ®ie  fbnntcn  eine^  fo  25 
()dB(id)eu  ®treid)e§  fdl)ig  fein,  baf?  8ie  mid)  nnn  nidjt  mo((= 
tm?  Siffen  Sie,  baj3  id)  auf  ^cit  mcinc^  ^ebenS  befd)impft 
ipdre  ?  ^Jlc'mc  IMnb^mdnninnen  nnirben  mit  gingern  auf 
mic^  tpeifen.  —  ,,T)a^  ift  fie,"  mitrbe  e^  (jeijen,  ,M^  ift  ha^ 
grixutein  Don  ^arn!)elm,  bie  fid)  einbi(bete,  mil  fie  reid)  fci,  30 
ben  macfcrn  Te((()eim  ,^u  befominen:  a(^  ob  bie  tDadern 
9}?dnner  fiir  @e(b  3U  ()abcn  indrcu !"    (go  iDiirbe  ci^  (jei^en. 


160  SJHnnobon^-Barnfjelm. 

benn  meine  !i?anb§mdnntnnen  ftnb  alle  neibifd)  auf  mid). 
!Da6  id)  reid)  bin,  fdnuen  fie  nidjt  leugnen  ;  abcr  bat)on 
iDoKen  fie  nid)t^  wiffcn,  ha^  id)  and)  fonft  nod)  cin  jiemlid) 
gute'S  aJ^dbd)cn  bin,  ba§  femeij  SJcanne^  UKvt  ift.     9iid)t 

5   iDal)!*,  3^elll)eim? 

tj.  i:eU^eim.  Qa,  ja,  pdbige^  grdulein,  baran  crfcnne 
id)  3l)re  \^anb§mdnninnen.  (Sie  tuerben  3l)^ien  cinen  ah 
gebfinften,  an  feiner  &}vc  cjefrtlnlten  Cffisier,  einen  ^liippel, 
einen  Settler,  trcff(id)  beneiben. 

10  ^tt0  iJraufcin.  Unb  ba^  a(le^  indren  (^ie  ?  ^d)  ^drte  fo 
uia§,  iDcnn  id)  mid)  nidjt  ivre,  fd)on  l)cnte  li^onnittage.  Ta 
ift  ^bfe^  unb  @ute$  nnter  einanber.  ^affen  ^k  nn§  bod) 
jebe^  nd^er  belend)ten.  —  i^erabfd)iebet  finb  ©ie  ?  @o  ()dre 
id),     ^d)  gUmbtc,  Qhx  ^xegiment  fei  bto^  nntergeftcdt 

15  morben.  3iMe  ift  e$  gefommen,  baj  man  cinen  ^JMnn  Don 
Q\)xm  33erbicnften  nid)t  bcibet)alten? 

ti.  2!eU^eim.  (i^  ift  gcfommen,  mie  ec^  fommcn  miiffen. 
!^ie  (^rojen  ()abcn  fid)  iiberjeucjt,  ha^  ein  @o(bat  an^ 
^^eipng  fiir  fie  gan^  menig,  an§  ^f[id)t  nid)t  uiel  mctjv, 

20  aber  alie^  feiner  cignen  (i1)re  n)egen  tl)ut.     $ihi6  fbnnen 

fie  il)m  alfo  fd)u(big   ^n  fein  glanben?    !4)er  gricbe  ()at 

il)nen  mel)rere  meine^g(cid)en  entbel)rlid)  gemad)t :  nnb  am 

(Snbc  ift  i()nen  nicumnb  unentbet)rlid). 

^o§  ^roufein.     '2k  fpred)en,  \vk  cin  DJiann  f^^redjcn 

25  mnj,  bem  bie  (53ro]5en  l)inn)iebernm  fe()r  entbcl)r(id)  finb. 
Unb  niemal^  maren  fie  e^  me^r  al§  jcl^t.  3d)  fttge  ben 
©ro^en  meinen  gvogen  !4^an!,  ha^  fie  il)re  ^2(nfpriid)e  auf 
cinen  SD^ann  l)aben  fal)ren  (affcn,  ben  id)  bod)  nur  fel)r  un= 
gern  mit  il)nen  getcitt  l)dtte.  —  Qd)  bin  SD^x  ©cbietcrin, 

30  Xe((I)eim  ;  2k  braud)en  meiler  fcincn  .sjcrrn.  —  2k  ncr== 
abfd)icbet  3U  finbcn,  ba^^  @(iid  l)dtte  id)  mir  faum  trdumcn 
laffen  I  —  ^od)  ^ie  finb  nid)t  blojs  oci-abfd)iebet :   @ie  finb 


fierier  ^ufaug.     <Sed)fter  ^uftritt.  161 

nod)  mei)i\  Sa§  finb  Ste  nod)  mc()r?  Gin  llriippel,  fagtcn 

@ie'?   5tUn,  3nbcm  [ie  i()n  son  oben  In^  unten  ktra*tet.   bcr  ^viippct 

ift  bod)  nod)  ^iemlid)  cjan^  nnb  cjenxbe,  fdjcint  bod)  nod)  giem- 
lid)  gefunb  nnb  ftarf.  —  i'ieber  3:e((()ciin,  luenn  Sie  anf  beit 
^^erlnft  3[)i*cr  gefnnben  @licbinaf;cn  bcttcln  jn  i3e()cn  bcnfcn,  5 
fo  propf)e^ei()e  id)  3l)^en,  baJ3  2k  mx  hen  inenigftcn  Jl)iircn 
ttwa^  befommcn  mcrbcn,  an^cjcnommen  Dor  hen  Xl)iiren 
ber  gnt[)er^ii3en  93ldbd)en  tuie  id), 

d.  Jica^eim.  ^e^it  t)orc  id)  nnr  ba§  mntn>i((igc  9!}tabd)cn, 
lie  be  ^JJtiima.  10 

^00  iJrattlcin.  Unb  id)  l)C)re  in  ^ifccm  3?crttieifc  nnr  ba^ 
,,liebe  DJtinna".  —  3d)  untl  nid)t  me()r  mntmidic]  fein.  :4^enn 
id)  befinne  niic^,  baj  Sic  allerbing^  ein  fleiner  ^riip^iel  fiub, 
(gin  2d)n^  l)at  3l)ncn  hen  red)ten  5Irm  ein  luenig  geUil)nit. 
—  !5^od)  alle§  n)ol)l  iibcrlct^t,  fo  ift  and)  ha^  fo  fd)(imm  nid)t.  15 
Urn  fooiel  fid)erer  bin  id)  nor  3()ren  3d)ldgen, 

ti.  XtU^m.    grdulein ! 

^aS  i^rauletn.  ©ie  luoKen  fat3en  :  aber  Sie  nm  foDiel 
meniger  uor  meinen.  9tnn,  nnn,  licber  3^elll)eim,  id)  l)o|fe, 
@ie  inerben  e^  nid)t  ba^n  fommcn  laffen.  20 

d.  2;cfl^cim.  Sie  iDoden  lad)cn,  mcin  grdnlciii.  3^)  ^c- 
flage  nnr,  ha\;  id)  nic^t  mitlad)en  fann. 

Xa§  ^rjiuletu.    333arum  nid)t?     ilBa^  l)aben  (gic  benn 
gcgen  ba^  l^ad)cn  ?    ^ann  man  benn  and)  nid)t  lad)enb  f el)r 
ernftliaft  fein?    !^icber  5}c\ijor,  ba§  ''^a&)tn  erl)dlt  nn§  ber*  25 
nitnftiger  a(^  ber  5>scrbvng.    ^er  ^en^eiS  liegt  nor  nn^?. 


o- 


yl)re  tad)enbe  Jyrennbin  bcnrteilt  3l)^*e  Untftdnbe  ineit  rid)- 
tiger  al§  eie  felbft.  Si'eil  2k  t)erabfd)iebet  finb,  ncnnen 
Sie  fid)  an  3l)^'er  &)vt  gcfrdnft ;  ineil  8ie  etnen  2d)n^  in 
bem  ^Irme  l)aben,  mad)en  Sie  fid)  ^,n  einent  .^riippeL  3fl  3° 
ba^  fo  redit?  3fl  ^i>^  fcine  llbertreibimg?  Unb  ift  e§ 
meine  (itnrid)tnng,  baf]  adc  ilbertreibnngeu  be^  •i'dd)erlid)cn 


162  9Jiinna  Don  ^^atnl)elm. 

fo  fdf)it3  f^^b?  Sd)  ^^cttc,  mnn  id)  Q\)vcn  ^cttkv  nun 
t)ernel)me,  ^a^  and)  btcfcr  ebeufoinenig  (Stid)  l)a(ten  tntrb. 
@ie  luerbcn  cimna(,  3iueima(,  breimal  SD^x  (5quipacje  t)er== 
loreit  (}Qben ;  bet  bcm  ober  jencm  -^anquicr  iDcrben  etnigc 

5  ^'apitale  jeljt  mtt  fdjunnbcn  ;  (^ie  uicrben  bicfcn  unb  feneu 
S3or|d)ug,  hen  ^tc  im  !4}tcnftc  get^an,  fcine  goffnung  I)abctt, 
iDieberperljalten  :  abcr  finb  @te  bariim  ein  :53ctt{cr  ?  Senn 
3Dnen  aud)  nidjt^  iibrig  geblieben  ift,  al^  \va^  mein  D()eim 
fiir  eie  mttbringt  — 

10  u.  2:eU^eim.  Qtjx  Dtjeim,  gndbit3e§  grciufetn,  lr>irb  fiir 
mid)  nid)U  mitbringcn. 

^a§  ^xmltin,    ^3iid)t§  aU  bie  ^^tneitaufenb  'ipiftolen,  bte 
@ie  unfern  <^tdnbcn  fo  gvojmiitig  t)orfd)offen. 
ti.  XtUf)t'm»    .*pdtten  ^ie  bod)  nur  meinen  ^rief  getefen, 

15  gndbige^  g-rdukin ! 

XaB  grtiulcin.  Tain  \a,  id)  ^abe  i{)u  gelefen,  5lber  \va^ 
id)  liber  biefen  ^im!t  barin  gelefen,  ift  ntir  ein  tt)al)re^ 
^idtfeL  Unmog(id)  faun  man  3l)^en  au^  eiuer  eblen  ganb- 
lung  ein  23erbred)en  mad)cn  tnotlen.  —  (SrHdrcn  (Sie  mir 

20  bod),  Ucbcr  Malov  — 

t).  2:efl^cim.  (2ie  eriimern  fid),  gndbigeS  grdnlein,  bag 
id)  Orbrc  ()attc,  in  ben  5imtcrn  SD^xx  ©egenb  bie  ^ontri^ 
bution  mit  bcr  diigcrften  (gtrenge  bar  bei^ntreibcn.  Qdj 
uioKte  mir  biefe  (Strenge  erfparen  unb  fd)OB  bie  fel)lenbe 

25  ©nmme  felbft  tior.  — 

^tt§  ^^raulcin.    ^a  moT)!  erinnere  id)  mid).  —  Qd)  (icbte 
(gie  urn  biefer  Zi)at  linden,  ol)ne  ©ie  nod)  gefel)en  gu 
{)aben. 
ft.  ^efi^cim.    !^ie  (Stdnbe  gaben  mir  ir)ren  Sed)fe(,  nub 

30  bicfcn  moUte  id)  bei  ^cid) nnng  be^  grieben^  nnter  bie  gn 
ratil)abicrenben  ©d)n(ben  eintragen  (affen.     SDer  Sed)fel 

31.  3u  rati^aMerenben,  ju  bcriitttgcuben. 


^ierter  ^uf^ug.     ©ed^fter  ^luftritt.  163 

ii^arb  fiir  giltii]  er!aimt,  abcr  mir  inarb  ba5  (Eit3entum  be^3* 
fel&en  ftreitic]  gemacfjt.  3Jcan  3013  fpiittifdj  ba^  3.\'au(,  a(^  id) 
oer[id)erte,  bk  ^nilute  bar  (jcrgecjeben  ^u  ^aben.  d)lan  erflcirte 
i()ti  fill*  erne  ^eftcdjuntj,  fiir  ba^  ©rattat  bcr  Stiinbe,  wdi 
hi)  [0  haih  mit  iljucn  auf  bic  nicbricjfte  3umme  cinig  geiuor-  5 
ben  inar,  mit  ber  id)  mid)  nur  im  dujserften  '3totfaUc  gu  be= 
gniitjen  iBolImad)t  fjatte.  (Bo  tarn  bcr  i!3ed)fe(  auv  meinen 
gdnben,  unb  inenu  er  be3al)lt  wirb,  inirb  er  ]'id)er(id)  nid)t 
an  mid)  bc^afjft  —  §ierburd),  mein  grdulein,  I)alte  id)  mcine 
(Sl)re  fiir  gcfrimft,  nid)t  burd)  ben  ^bfd)ieb,  ben  id)  geforbert  10 
^aben  miirbe,  inenn  id)  il)n  nid)t  befommen  I)dtte.  —  Bk  finb 
ernftf)aft,  mein  griiulein?  :i!3arum  (ad)en  ^ie  nid)t?  §a, 
^a,  f)a !    Sd)  ^^^)^  i^i- 

^00  ^rauleiii.  D,  erfti(fen  (Sie  biefe^  2ad)en,  ^ell^cim ! 
3d)  befdjiDore  3ie !  (^^  ift  ha^  fd)recf(id)e  l'ad)en  bev^  ^Dtcn- 15 
fd)en(}affe5 !  9tcin,  2k  finb  ber  'Mann  nidjt,  ben  eine  gnte 
%[)at  reuen  fann,  meil  fie  iible  golgen  fiir  it)n  f)at.  ^U'ln, 
imindglid)  fdnnen  biefc  iiblen  Solgen  banern !  !^ie  SBal)r^ 
tjcit  mnj  an  ben  Xa^  fommen.  3}a^  B^i^pi^  meine^ 
d)eim^>,  ader  nnfrer  Stdnbe  —  20 

n.  XtUi)tm,    SO^-c^  d)eimi5 !    Qfjxcv  @tdnbe !    §a,  \)a, 

^a0  i^roulein.  3^^  ?ac^en  tt)tet  mic^,  Mt^eim !  SBenn 
(Sie  an  ^ugenb  nnb  iBorfid)t  glauben,  Xe(T()eim,  fo  lac^en 
(Bk  fo  nid)t !  3d)  ^)^^^s  ^^i<^  fiird)terlid)er  f(nd)en  fjdren,  ai^  25 
<£ic  (ad)en.  —  Unb  (affen  Bk  nn5  ba^  ^d)(immfte  fet^en ! 
SKenn  man  Bk  t)icr  bnrd)an§  Derfennen  mid,  fo  fann  man 
Bk  bei  nn^  nid)t  nerfcnnen.  9?ein,  mir  founen,  mir  merben 
Bk  nid]t  oerfenncn,  ^c((()eim.  Unb  menn  nnferc  etdnbe 
tie  geringfte  (Smpfinbnng  t)on  Gijre  l)aben,  fo  meig  id),  ma§  30 

i^crtvctb"  B.  452.    (Sdjillcrd  Srieftreitfel  mit  JKeinroalb  3.  205. 


164  5)linrta  Don  ^JBornl^elm. 

fie  tl)un  miiffen,  5)oc()  id)  bin  nid)t  !(ug ;  \m^  mare  ba^ 
notig  ?  ^ilDen  @ie  fid)  ein,  Xetlljcim,  ®ie  Ijdtten  bie  ^inei^ 
tciufcnb  ^Jiftolen  an  cinein  ipilben  5tbenbe  Derloren.  !4}er 
^bnig  wax  cine  nnt3Uidlid)e  ^iarte  fiir  @ic :    bie  !^ame 

5  stuf  fid)  ireifenb.  iDirb  Qi}ncn  befto  gitnftigcv  fcin.  —  ^ie  33or^ 
fid)t,  glauben  ^ie  niir,  Ijdlt  ben  el)rtid)en  iDamn  immer 
fd)ab(o^,  unb  t)fter^  fd)on  im  uorani^.  ^ic  Zijat,  bie  <Sie 
einmat  um  gmeitaufeub  ^13ifto(en  bringen  follte,  ermarb  mid) 
-SDtten.    £)l)ue  biefe  3:f)at  luitrbe  id)  nie  bcgierig  geiDcfcn 

10  feiit,  ^ie  fcnnen  ,^u  (ernen.  @ie  tuiffcn,  id)  fain  nncinge^ 
laben  in  bte  crftc  @efe(lfd)aft,  wo  id)  '3ie  p  finbcn  glanbte. 
3d)  tarn  bloj  3l}i-entiDcgen.  Qd)  !am  tii  bem  feftcn  i^ov* 
fa^e,  @ie  gu  lieben,  —  id)  Uebte  (Sie  fd)on !  —  in  bem  feften 
ii3orfat^e,  @ie  jn  befi^en,  tnenn  id)  (Bk  and)  fo  \d)\mY^  nnb 

15  ()dBltd)  finben  foUte  alv5  ben  dJlol)v  t)on  il^encbia.  8ie  finb 
fo  fd}iDar3  unb  l)dj3lid)  nid)t ;  and)  fo  eiferfiid)tii]  tnerben  ^ie 
nid)t  fein.  '2lber,  4:ell()eim,  3:elll)eim,  Bk  l)aben  bod)  nod) 
t)iel  5il)nlid)e^  niit  il)m !  £),  iiber  bte  unlben,  nnbicgfanien 
SJZdnnev,  bie  nnr  immer  i()r  ftiere^  5(nge  auf  ba§  ©cfpenft 

20  ber  (S()re  f)eften !  fiir  a((e§  anbere  @efitl)(  fid)  t)erl)drtcn !  — 
§ierl)er  Qi)x  ^Incje !  anf  mid),  3^ell()eim !    2)er  inbe^  »erticft  unb 

itnbeircglic^  mit  ftarrcn  5{iigcn  immer  auf  cine  (Stellc  gefcl)en.     ^oran 

benfen  @ie?    <Sie  l)dren  mid)  nid)t? 
».  XcMtm  jci-ftmtt.    D  ia !    Siber  fagen  Bk  mir  bod), 
25  mcin  grdnlein,  trie  fam  ber  9}|o(}r  in  iienetianifd)e  :I)ienfte  ? 
§atte  ber  3}2o()r  fein  initcrlanb?     Sarum  nennietete  er 
fcincn  5(rm  nnb  fcin  ^Int  cinem  fremben  Btaak  ?  — 

2)cg  i^riiulcin  crfd)rDcfen.    3So  finb  @ie,  3:eld)eim  ?  —  9tnn 
ift  eg  5eit,  ba(3  nnr  abbred)cn.  —  tommen  Bk  I    Snbcm  fie 
30  i^n  ki  ber  ^anb  crgvcift.  —  gratisi^^fa,  laf3  ben  Sagen  t>or^ 
fat)ren. 

tJ.  ^ctt^cim  ber  fid)  vim;  bem  grautein  to^^rcif^t  unb  ber  ^ran,^i^fa 


SSiertcr  ^ufjug.     6ed^[ter  ^uftritt.  165 

na*ge^t.  ^teltt,  gran^i^^fa,  id)  fann  nidjt  bic  &}vc  ()abcn,  ba§ 
grdu(etn  3U  begtettcn.  —  9J^em  grdutcin,  (affen  Sie  mir 
nod)  ()eute  meinen  gefuiiben  i^erftanb  unb  bcurlaubeu  eie 
mid),  ^ie  finb  auf  bem  beftcu  SBege,  mid)  barum  511  brin- 
c^en.  -3^)  fti^i^^ii^c  ^^^^^)'  \omi  id)  fann.  —  5(ber  ireit  id)  5 
nod)  bei  i>erftanbe  bin,  fo  l)oren  Sie,  mein  ^rdnlein,  ma^ 
id)  feft  befd)loffcn  !)abc,  iDODon  mid)  nid)t^  in  ber  Scit  ah- 
bringen  fod.  —  Senn  nid)t  nod)  ein  i3(itcflid)er  Snrf  fiir 
mid)  im  <Spie(e  ift,  tuenn  fid)  ba$  ^latt  ntd)t  oi)lIicj  ipenbct, 
inenn  —  10 

^00  ^raulcin.  ^)  mng  3I)tten  tn§  S5>ort  fallen,  §crr 
DJ^ijor.  3Da§  I)dttcn  mir  il)m  gleidj  fagen  folkn,  gran^i^fa. 
!Du  erinnerft  mid)  and)  an  gar  ntd)t^.  —  Unfer  ©efprdd) 
n)itrbe  gan^  anbcr^^  gcfadcn  fein,  Xe((f)cim,  iDenn  id)  mit  ber 
gnten  9tad)rid)t  angcfangen  I)dtte,  hk  -3()nen  ber  (5()eoa(ier  15 
be  la  30^ar(inicre  nur  eben  ^n  bringcn  fam. 

ti.  XtU^tim,    S^er  (Sl)eualier  be  (a  3}ZarIiniere  ?    Ser  ift 

Sronjigfo.  (5§  mag  ein  gan^  gnter  ^J^ann  fein,  ©err  OJ^a- 
jor,  bi^  anf  —  20 

^a§  i^rttulcin.  (Sd)tDcig,  gran^i^fa !  —  (^kid)fa(l^  ein 
t)erabfd)icbcter  Cffi^icr,  ber  an§  ^o((dnbifd)cn  5)ienften  — 

a.  XtUf^tm,    ga !  ber  I'ientenant  9?iccant ! 

^00  i^rdufcin.    Gr  t)erfid)crte,  ha^  er  ^i)v  grennb  fei. 

ft.  ^cfi^eim.    Sd}  oerfid)ere,  bafe  id)  feiner  nid)t  bin.  25 

Xa§  i?raulctn.  Unb  baf?  it)m,  td)  tiicif>  nid)t  tt»c(d)er  WmU 
fter  Dertrant  l)abc,  Q{)xc  ^ad)e  fei  bem  g(itdlid)ften  5(n^gange 
na^e.  ^^  miiffe  ein  fi)nig(id)e§  ganbfdjreiben  an  Sie  nnter- 
iregen^  fein.  — 

ft.  XcU^cim.    Sie  fdmen  9^iccant  nnb  ein  3J?inifter  p-  30 
fammen  ?  —  (Stwa^  gtDar  mn§  in  meiner  (Sad)e  gefd)el)en 

25.  S39(.  9?cfinarb.    II,  177. 


166  SJiinna   bon  58ornf)eIm. 

fein.  !l>enn  nur  je^t  erfldrte  mir  ber  ^rtcg^galjdnetfter,  bag 
ber  ^ontg  alle^  niebevgefdjtagen  f)abc,  inad  mtber  mid)  iir= 
gtcrt  iDorbcn,  unb  baj]  id)  mein  fd)riftlid)  i]ei3ebcne$  (i()ren= 
iuort,  nid)t  cl)cr  non  ()ier  ju  i3el)en,  al^  bii5  man  mid)  noKig 
5  entlabcn  I)atie,  luicbcr  priicfnel)ineu  fonne.  —  !4)a§  mirb  e^ 
aber  auc^  allc^  fcin.  SJhin  iDirb  mid)  tpollen  laufen  kffen. 
villein  man  irrt  fid) ;  id)  lucrbe  nid)t  (aufen.  (Sl)cr  fod  mid) 
l)icr  ba^  ciugcrfte  (Slenb  Dor  ben  Sluijen  meiner  ^erlcumber 
Dcr5e()ren  — 

lo     XaB  ^xdnk'm,    $artnad*iger  3}?ann  r 

tj.  ^eU^cim.  3d)  braud)e  feine  ©nabr;  id)  wiii  @ercd)tig' 
!eit    aj^eine  (I-l)re  — 
SttS  i?rdulcin.    SDie  (Sl)re  eine§  9]?anne§  inie  ©te  — 
tJ.  SJcU^cim  l)it^ig.    'Jtcin,  mein  grdulein,  eic  UKrben  lion 
15  alien  S^ingen  red)t  gut  urteilen  fonncn,  nur  l)icriikr  nid)t. 
©ie  (5I)re  ift  nid)t  bie  ®timme  unfer^  @ctnifi"en§,  nid)t  ba§ 
3eugni^  meniger  ^Jied)tf(^affcnen  — 

Xa§  i^riiulcin.    9leiu,  nein,  id)  treig  tDO^L  —  'I)k  dljvt 

ift  —  bie  (5f)re. 

20     ti.  2:ell^cim.     I^^urj,  mein  graufein,  —  @te  f)aben  mic^ 

nid)t  an^rebcn  la f fen.  —  3d)  ii^oHte  fagen  :  menu  man  mir 

t^a^  meinige  fo  fd)impfltd)  t)orentI)att,  inenn  meiner  (S()re 

nid)t  bie  doKfommenfte  ®enngtl)uung  gefd)ie^t,  fo  fann  id), 

mein  grdulcin,  ber  3t)rige  nid)t  fein.    !4^enn  id)  bin  e^  in 

25  ben  5(ugen  ber  Selt  nid)t  mert,  3U  fein.    'I^a^^  grdulcin  non 

^arnl)e(m  nerbient  einen  nnbefd)o(teuen  Wlann,   (S^  ift  eine 

nid)tcinnirbige  Stebe,  bie  fein  ^ebenfen  trdgt,  it)ren  ©cgen- 

ftanb  ber  25erad)tung  au^jufcl^en.    (5^  ift  ein  nid)t§nnirbiger 

iUJann,  ber  fid)  nid)t  fd)dmt,  fein  gan^^e^  (3iM  einem  gran^ 

30  en^immer  ,^n  oerbanfen,  beffcn  blinbe  3drt(id)!eit  — 

2>tt8  Sraulein.    Unb  ba^  ift  3t)r  Grnft,  §err  S^tapr?  — 
3nt)fm  fie  i§m  plofeUc^  ben  9iucfen  tvenbet.     grau^i^fa  I 


SSierter  ^ufauc^.     ©eci^fter  ^luftritt.  167 

jj.  XtU^t'm,    SSerben  (Ste  uid)t  imgef)altcn,  mein  grau= 
lein  — 

Sa^  ratft  bu  mir,  gran^i^fa  ?  — 

granjigfa.    3''^)  ^^^^^  nidjtS.     5(ber  freilic^  mad)t  er  e§  5 
-3f)ncn  ein  menitj  3U  bunt. — 

d.  ^efi^eim  ber  fie  ju  unterbrec^en  tmmU    @ie  fiub  Ultgetjalteu, 

mein  grdulein  — 

Xa§  %xduUin  ^o^mfd).    Qd)  ?  im  geringften  nidjt. 

tj.  XcUf)t'm,    iKenn  id)  ^ie  ineniger  liebte,  mein  grau^  10 
tein  — 

Xa§  ijrauleitt  noi)  in  biefem  Zont.    O  geiui^,  e§  iDcire  mein 
UncjUtcf!  —  Unb  fel)en  '^ie,  §eiT  ^D^qor,  id)  luilf  3^r  Un* 
gliicf  au^  nid)t.  —  9)2an  mug  gan^  nneigcnnul^ig  licben.  — 
(gben  ]o  gut,  baj  id)  nid)t  offen()er5igcr  gewefen  bin  1    ^ie(=  15 
Ieid)t  mlirbe  mir  Si]V  DJIitleib  geiudf)rt  f)aben,  \va^  mir  Qljxt 

Siebe  Oerfagt.  —  3nbem  fie  ben  9iing  [ansfam  »om  3"i"9cr  jie^t. 

ti.  XtUf}tm.    Sa^  mcinen  'Sle  bamit,  grdutein? 

^tt0  Sriiulcin.    D^etn,  !eine§  muB  ba§  anbere  lueber  gtitd* 
Iid)er  nod)  unglitdlid)er  mad)en.     ®o  mil  e§  bic  uia()re  20 
giebe !     3d)  gtaube  3()nen,  $eiT  SJ^aior  ;  unb  gie  t)aben 
3U  Diet  (g^re,  a(^  bag  ^ie  i^k  ^iebe  ucrfennen  fodten, 

n.  2eH^etm.    (Spottcn  (Sie,  mein  grilutein  ? 

^o§  ??rautein.    §ier !    ^3^ef)men  ^k  hm  9^ing  n)ieber  3U= 
ritcf,  mit  bem  (Sie  mir  S^]'^  Zunc  nerppidjtet.    U6enetd)t  m  25 
ben  9Jing.    (S^  fel  brum !   Sir  woikn  einanber  nic^t  gefannt 
^aben. 

tJ.  xmt'm.    $3a§  f)(5re  tc^  ? 

^Q§  ^raulctn.     Unb  ba^  befrembet  (Sie?  —  9iel)mcn 
(Bk,  mein  v§err.  —  ^ie  ^aben  fid)  bod)  loof)!  nid)t  bto^  30 
ge^iert  ? 

26.  35fit.  ©^afefpcarc,  iiberf.  ».  ®d)tcficr.    VI,  183. 


168  gjlinna  toon  58arnl)clm. 

ft.  2cIJ(^cini  inbem  er  ben  dim  (^ua  i^rer  |)anb  nimmt,  ©ott !  fo 
iami  Mhxm  fprcdjcn !  — 

XaS  ^roulcin.    @te  fonncn  ber  9}^emige  in  etncm  galle 

nid)t  fetn  ;  id)  faun  bie  SD^'iQ^  ^^  feincm  fcm.    Qljx  Un= 

5   t3(uc!  ift  uial)r[d)einUcl) ;  meiue^  ift  gemtil.  —  Seben  ©ie 

lr)Ol)I  !      2BiII  fort. 

ft.  xmtim,    2Bol)m,  (iebfte  93^mna? 

^o§  ijraulcin.    0)lem  §err,  ^ie  befdjtmpfm  mtc^  je^t 
mtt  bicfer  uertraulidjctt  ^enennung. 
10     ft.  Xcfl^ctm.    ^Hi§  ift  Sbneu,  mein  graulcin?    SBoljin? 

^ttg  ijraulcin.  i^aj'fen  ^ie  mid).  —  ^DZeine  2;;i)ranen  Dor 
^()nen  3U  uerbenjcn,  ^crrcitcr !    mt  a^- 


(Si ci enter  5(uftritt. 

ft.  2!cll^cim.      i^ranjtgfo. 

15     ft.  ^ePcim.    3()ve  ^(jvdncn?    Unb  i(^  fodte  pe  (affen? 

SBiU  if)r  nad). 

Sranji^ftt  bie  i^n  .mriicfbait.     9Zid)t  bod),  .^cvr  9}|a}or !    (Sie 
iDerben  it)r  ja  nid)t  in  il)r  ©djlafjintmer  folgen  moto? 

ft.  XeU^cim,    Qtjv  UncjUi(f  ?     ^pvad)  fie  nidjt  Don  Un= 
20  glltcf  ? 

granjigftt.    9?nn  frci(id) :  ^a^  Ungtitcf,  (gie  gn  oerlieren, 
nad)bem  — 

ft.  ^efl^cim.    9^ad}bcm  ?  n)a§  nadjbem  ?   §ierl)intcr  ftedt 
met}r.    31>a§  ift  c^S  gran^i^fa  ?    9tebc,  fpridj  — 
25      i^ranjigftt.    ^Jtadjbcm  fie,  Wollk  id)  fagcn,  —  3l)tten  fo 
oiele^  anfgcopfert. 

ft.  2:efl^cim.    Wiv  aiif geopfert  ? 

?5ranji0ftt.    §oren  (Sie  nur  furj,  —  ^§  ift  —  fitr  (gie 


SSierter  ^uf^ug.     ^d^ter  ^uftritt.  169 

red)t  gut,  §err  dJlalov,  bag  (Sie  auf  bicfc  5lrt  t)Ott  il)r  Io^= 
gefjimucn  finb.  —  ^^arimi  foil  id)  e§  3f)^ten  nic^t  fagen? 
(S^  fann  bod)  (dnger  kin  ®e()eimni^  b(cil)cn.  —  5i>tr  finb 
entfIol)en  I  —  3Der  ®raf  t)oti  ^vudjfad  I}at  ba^  grdutcin 
enterbt,  ireil  fie  feinen  Wann  tion  fcincr  §anb  anne()mcn  5 
iDodte.  ^(le^  t)erlie6,  aik^  oeradjtete  fie  I)icrauf.  2Ba^ 
foKten  tDtr  tl)un?  Sir  entfdjtoffen  unS,  benjenigen  auf- 
gufudjen,  bcm  mv  — 

tj.  ^ell^ctm.  -3<i)  ^)^^c  gcnug.  —  tommr  id)  mug  mic^ 
3U  i()reu  gitgcn  iDerfcn.  10 

grttnjigftt.  Sa§  benfen  ©ie  ?  ®el)cn  ©ie  Dielmc^r  unb 
banten  3^rem  gutcu  (s)efd)icfe  — 

tj.  XtU^dm,  (Slenbc !  fiir  wen  I)dltft  bu  mic^  ?  —  9^ein, 
liebe  gran^i^fa,  ber  9^at  fan:  nidjt  au§  beincm  ©erjen. 
iBergieb  meinem  Umnidcn!  15 

^ranjisfa.  ^alkn  ®ie  mid)  nic^t  Idnger  auf.  Sd)  wug 
fe^cn,  \va^  fie  mad)t.  3Sie  Ieid)t  fbnnte  il)r  ctma^  ^uge^ 
ftogen  fein.  —  @el)en  @ie !  ^ommen  (^ie  (ieber  tnieber, 
ipenn  ©ie  inieber  fommen  iDoHen.    ©e^t  bem  graukin  nac&. 


Slater  %u\txiH. 

5Iber  ^ran^i^fa !  —  O,  t(^  emarte  euc^  l^ier !  —  9^etn, 
ha^  ift  bringcnber !  —  SKcnn  fie  (grnft  fie!)!,  !ann  mir  il)rc 
SSergebung  nid)t  entftefjen.  —  9^un,  brand)'  id)  bid),  el)rlid)cr 
Serner !  —  9^ein,  ilJ^inna,  ic^  bin  fein  S3errdter !  QiknH  ai, 

22.  (£  n  t  jl  e^  e  n ,  fe^ten.    SJgt.  „^tU"  I,  4 1 

T)oi)  tt)re  (ber  (Sblen)  ^ilfe  twirb  un^  ni(^t  entjle^n, 
SBenn  fie  baa  Sanb  in  SBaffen  erjl  erblirfen. 


20 


^itttfter  9(uf3ug« 


^rfier  Sluftritt. 

Die  (Scene  t  ber  (Saal* 

ft.  XtU^tim  »on  ber  einen  itnb  SBcmcr  *oon  bet  anbent  ©ette* 

5       ft.  3!epeim.     ga,  SBerner!  id)  fudjc  bid)  iiberatf.    SBo 
ftedft  bu? 

SScrnet.    Unb  id)  l^abe  ©ie  Gc[itd)t,  §err  9)?ajor ;   fo 
ge^f  g  mit  bem  (Sud)en.  —  3d)  Irittge  3^)ncn  gar  eine  gute 
9^a(^rtd)t. 
10     ft.  X(Uf^dm,    511),  i(^  braud)e  \d}t  ntd)t  betne  5^ad)nd)tcn, 
id)  braud)e  betn  @e(b.     @cfd)tDinb,  SScrner,  gicb  mix  fo 
t)tet  bu  l^aft,  unb  bann  fud)e  fo  ml  auf^ubrtngen,  al^  bu 
fannft 
SBcrncr.    .f)err  Wlalov  ?  —  ^lun,  bet  meiner  armen  (Seete, 
15 1)abe  td)'§  bod)  gefagt :  er  ttjirb  ®elb  t)on  mir  borgcn,  tuenu 
er  fetber  tr»eld)e§  ^u  t3erletl)en  ijat 
ft.  xmjtlm.    T)n  fud)ft  bo^  ntd)t  5lu$pd)te  ? 
SBcrncr.     !Damtt  id)  il)m  ntd)t§  ijorjuttjerfcn  I)abe,  fo 
uimtnt  er  mif^  mit  ber  9ied)ten  unb  giebt  mir'0  mit  ber 
20  Sinfcn  mieber. 

ft.  ^eflfjcim.  §alte  mid)  nid)t  auf,  3[Bcrner !  —  Qdj  \)ahc 
ben  guten  SSiKcn,  bir  e§  tuieber  3U  geben ;  aber  tpenn  unb 
ipte?—- ba§  n3ei|  ®ott? 


^unfter  ^uf^ug.     erfter  ?tuftritt.  Itl 

SBerncr.  (gte  iriffen  e^  alfo  noc^  nic^t,  ha^  bte  §of ftaatS^ 
!affe  £rbre  l)at,  3l)nen  S^xt  ©clber  3U  besal)(en?  (gbeu 
erfut)r  id)  ed  bei  — 

tj.  ^ca^cim.    Sa^3  plauberft  bu?     S53a$  tdffeft  bu  bir 
inetB  madjen?    ^eijrcifft  bu  bcun  nid)t,  bag,  menn  e^  iDat)r  5 
iimre,  id)  e§  bod)  mol)!  am  erftcu  iDiifen  uiiijte  ?  —  ^ui^, 
Seruer,  @elb !  @c(b ! 

SScrncr.  ^e  nu,  mit  greuben !  f)icr  ift  wa§ !  —  ^a§ 
finb  bie  I)unbert  Souiebor,  unb  ba^  bie  ()unbert  'i:^ufaten.  — 

®iebt  tf)m  betbe^,  ^° 

t).  3:ca6cim.  ^ie  f)unbert  ^oui^bor,  Sevner,  gel)  unb 
bringe  3uftcu.  (Sr  foU  foglcid)  ben  9Unt3  n)iebcr  einlijfen, 
ben  er  {)eute  friif)  tjerfe^t  l)at.  —  ^ber  wo  n)irft  bu  me()r 
^erne(]men,  Serner?  — 3d)  braud)e  meit  nie()r. 

SScrner.    S^afiir  laffen  8ic  mid)  forgcn.  —  5^er  DDtann,  15 
ber  mein  G5ut  gefauft  l)at,  n)oI)nt  in  bcr  3tabt.    "^^er  3^^)- 
(ungetermin  mdre  3it)ar  erft  in  inei3cf)n  Xac\cn ;  aber  ba^ 
@e(b  liegt  parat,  unb  ein  f)a(b  ^ro5entd)en  Slb^ug  — 

ft.  ^ett^cim.    9^nn  ja,  lieber  31>erner !  —  (2iel)ft  bu,  bag 
id)  meine  ein^igc  3^ff^<^*  5^  ^^^*  ncl)me  ?  —  Qdj  mug  bir  20 
and)  adeS  tjcrtrauen.     !l^a^  grdutein  I)icr,  —  bu  I)aft  Ue 
gefef)n,  —  ift  ungliicfdd)  — 

SBcrncr.    O  ^citnmer ! 

II.  2;ea^cim.    5tber  morgen  ift  fie  meine  gran  — 

SBcrncr.    O  greube !  25 

b.  3!cU$cim.  Unb  itbermorgen  gef)'  id)  mit  iln*  fort.  5d) 
barf  fort ;  id)  mil  fort,  lieber  t)icr  a(fe^  im  ^tid)e  getaffen ! 
2Ber  meig,  mo  mir  fonft  ein  @(it(f  aufgcI)oben  ift.  25enn 
bu  midft,  Serner,  fo  !omm  mit.  Sir  UJoUen  iDieber  !^ienfte 
nelimcn.  3° 

SScrncr.  SSal)rI)aftig  ?  —  5lber  bod)  tDo'S  ^rieg  giebt, 
§err  ^ajor? 


172  Winna  Don  SBarntielm. 

t).  XtUf)tm.  So  fonft?  —  (Bdjr  liebcr  SBcvmx,  Voiv 
fprcdjen  baooii  tneiter. 

SKerner.  D  geqenmnajor!  —  ilbcrmorgen?  SBarum 
nidjt  lieber  movom?  —  Qd)  it>tl(  fdjon  allcS  ^ufammen* 
5  bringen.  —  ^n  ^iferficn,  ©err  ajlajor,  giebt'S  einen  trcff^ 
(idjcn  ^ricg  ;  lDa§  inctnen  (Sie  ? 

ft.  2:eH^etm.  Sir  iDolIen  ba§  iiberlecjen  ;  gel)  nur,  Ser= 
ncr !  — 

SBerncr.    3ud)I)e !  e§  Icbe  ber  ^rinj  geralUu^ !  ®e:^t  a:&* 


10  gteicitcr  ^luftritt. 

Sic  ift  tnir  ?  —  ^eine  ganje  ©eele  I)at  ncue  ^riebfebem 
bcfommen.  Wldn  eipcS  Uttglitcf  fd)(ui3  mid)  nieber,  madjte 
mt(^  argerlicv^,  furjfidjtic;,  fd)itd)tern,  laffig :  il)r  Unglltd 
15  I)cbt  mid)  empor ;  id)  fe(}e  tDieber  frei  um  mi(^  unb  fii()(e 
mid)  tinllig  unb  ftarf,  al(c§  fitr  fie  ju  unternc()men.  —  SaS 
tocrtPCite  id)?  W\U  md)  bem  Bintmer  be^  graulein^,  aui  bem  i()m 
granjii^fa  entgegen  fommt. 

3)rittcr  5(uftnlt. 

20  SrttJtjt^fa.    ft.  2^cfl^ctm. 

I^ronjigfa.    (Sinb  (Sie  e§  bo(^  ?  —  @§  trar  mir,  q(§  ob 
id)  3I)re  ©timme  l)orte.  —  Sa§  troKen  @ic,  ©err  ^JJ^ajor? 
ft.  xmnm.    Sag  ic^  \mil?  —  Sag  mad)t  bein  grau=^ 
tctn  ?  —  ,tomm !  — 
25     5?rttnjigfo.    (^ic  \mii  ben  5luGcnb(i(f  augfal)rcn. 


f^iinfter  ^ufjug.     fritter  ^uftritt.  1^3 

ti.  XtWm,    llnb  allein?  o^ne  mid)?  tnoljin? 

i^ranjisftt.    gaben  'Sic  ocrgeffcn,  §eiT  93^Tior?  — 

ti.  xmt'm.  ^ift  bii  nid)t  flug,  gransic^fa  ?  —  3d)  ^abe 
fie  cjeret^t,  unb  fie  irarb  enipfinblid) :  id)  merbe  fie  um  ^er== 
gebung  bitten,  unb  fie  mirb  mir  oergcben.  5 

,^ronjigftt.  Sie  ?  —  9tad)bem  <8ie  ben  ^ing  ^uritcf ge^ 
nommcn,  $crr  d)la\ox  ? 

b.  ^cD^eim.  §a !  —  haii>  t^at  id)  in  ber  :Q3etanbnng.  — 
-^etjt  benf  ic^  erft  \pieber  an  ben  9?ing.  —  2Bo  ^be  id)  il)n 
l)inGcftc(f t  ?  —  Sr  fu*t  i^n.    ©ier  ift  cr.  10 

iJronji^f a.  -3ft  ^^  '^^^  ?  3nbem  cr  if)n  trteber  dnilccft,  M  (Seite, 
Senn  cr  i()n  bod)  genauer  befef)en  n>o((te ! 

t).  XcII^ eim.    ©ie  brang  mir  i^n  auf  mit  einer  ^ittcrfeit 

—  3c^  t)abe  bicfe  ^^itterfeit  fc^on  Dcrgeffen.     (5in  nolle^    <^^^^< 
§er5  fann  bie  5Borte  nid)t  indgen.  —  5lber  fie  n»irb  fid)  and)  15  ' 
feinen  ?(ugenblicf  iDcigern,  ben  9f^ing  icieber  an3uncl)men. 

—  Unb  ^abc  id)  md)t  nod)  i()ren? 

^ranjigftt.  1)en  ermartet  fie  bafitr  .^nritcf.  —  So  I)aben 
(gie  il)n  benn,  §err  dJlalov  ?    S^iQcn  @te  mir  t^n  boi^. 

ti.  XtUf^t'm  ttm^  »ertc3cn.  Qd)  I)abc  —  il)n  an^uftecfcn  t)er=  20 
geffen.  —  3^ft  —  S^]^  ^i^i^'^  i^^ii'  if)tt  gleid)  nad)bringen. 

^ranjigfa.  (5^  ift  moI)(  eincr  ^iemtid)  mie  ber  anbere ; 
(affcn  3ie  mi^  hod)  biefen  fe^en ;  id)  fe^e  fo  n^a^  gar  gu 
gern. 

ti.  XtU^tim.    Qxn  onbermal,  gran^i^fa.    S^^^  fomm  —  25 

Sfronji^ftt  £)ei  (Seite.    Gr  nnd  fic^  burc^au^  nid)t  au§  fcinem  » 

3rrtumc  bringen  laffen. 

u.  2ctt^eim.    Sa§  fagft  '^n?    ^rrtume? 

gfrottjisftt.   (5§  ift  ein  3i*i'tnm,  fag'  tc^,  menn  Ste  meinen, 
ba6  ba§  grdulein  boc^  nod)  etne  gnte  ^artie  fet.  Q'i)v  eignc6  30 
3Scrmdgen  ift  gar  nid)t  bctrdd)tlid)  ;  bnrd)  ein  nienig  cigcn- 
niit3ige  9ied)nungen  fonncn  c^  il)r  bie  iBormitnber  uollig  3U 


174  5Jiinna  bon  ^^Qrn'f)ettn. 

Saffer  madden.  <Ste  emartete  at(e§  Don  bem  £)I)eim ;  aber 
biefer  graufame  Dfjeim  — 

ti.  2:ea^eim.     I'ag  il)n  bod) !  —  ^m  id)  nidjt  Wam^ 
genug,  il)r  eimnal  atlc^  ju  erfetjen?  — 
5       gionji^fa.    .^Liren  ©ic  ?    (©ie  fltncjctt ;  id)  mug  I}crein, 

ti.  2;eUI)cim.    3^)  O^tje  mtt  bti\ 

^ranji^fa.  Urn  hc^  §immel§  tntdcu  nidjt !  ©te  ()at  uttr 
an^britd'ltd)  oerboten,  mtt  S^ntn  ^n  fprcdjen.  ^ommcn 
©ie  tpenicjften^  mtr  erft  nad).  —  <Set)t  l)erein. 


10  aSicrtcr  5(uflritt. 

d.  ^eH^cim  ik  nad)rufenb. 

9}JeIbe  mid)  if)v !  —  (Sprid)  fiir  mid),  gran^^i^fa !  —  Sd) 
fofgc  bir  foglcid) !  —  !©a§  merbe  id)  if)r  fagen  ?  —  SS^o  \)a<i 
§eq  reben  barf,  braudjt  c^  !einer  ^Isorbereitung.  —  ^a§ 

15  ein^ige  mbc^te  eine  ftubtcrte  Scnbmig  bcbiirfcn :  it)re  3^' 
rii(fl)a(tnng,  tl)re  ^ebenflid)fcit,  fid)  aU  nngliidlid)  in  meine 
5(rme  in  tDcrfcn ;  il)re  ^cf(i[]'en()eit,  mir  eiu  ©litd  tior^u^ 
fpiegein,  ^a^  fie  burd)  mid)  oerloren  {)at.  :t)iefc§  Wi^' 
trancn  in  meinc  &}vc,  in  il)ren  eignen  SK^ert  oor  il)r  felbft 

20  jn  rntfdmlbicjen,  t)or  i()r  felbft.  —  33or  mir  tft  e§  fdjon 
entfd)n(btgt !  —  §a !  ()icr  t'ommt  fie.  — 


f^iinftcr  5(uftritt. 

^08  Stiinlcin.     ^^ronjigfa.     ft.  2cPcim. 

®tt§  t^riiulciit   tm  ^erau^treteit,  da  o'6  fte  ben  ?D?ajpr  nid^t  gciriatn- 
25  tuiirbc.    ^cr  ^^i3a(]cn  ift  bod)  t)or  ber  2;:()iire,  gran^t^fa?  — 
^J}ceincn  gdd)cr !  — 


^iinfter  ^ufjug.     f^iinfter  ^uftritt.  115 

ft.  XtUf)tm  auf  Tie  ?u.    SSoI)in,  mem  graulein  ? 

^0§  grdulcin  mit  einer  affeftierten  mti,    %U^,  §err  9)Zaior.  — 

Qd)  eirate,  luarum  (Ste  fid)  nodjmali^  f)erbemiil)t  ^aben : 
mtr  and)  meinen  dliuQ  tuieber  ^uriic!  gu  gebett.  —  SoI)(, 
geiT  3}Mior ;  ()aben  ^ie  nur  bte  (^iitc,  tl)n  bcr  J^'an^i^fa  5 
ein^uljcinbiijen.  —  gransi^fa,  nimm  bcni  gerrn  DJhxjor  ben 
Dtiiig  ab !  —  Qd]  ^V'^^^  ^"^i^e  ^tit  gu  uerlieren.    2BiU  fort. 

ft.  XtU\)nm  ber  i^r  sortritt.  DJ^eitt  grciuletu !  —  2(1),  \va^ 
^abc  id)  cr[al)rett,  meiti  grdulein !  Qd)  wax  fo  Dieler  ii^iebe 
nid)t  inert.  10 

^ttg  Sriiulein.  80,  gran^ii^fa?  "^vl  ^aft  bem  §eiTtt 
SJ^ijor 

Sranjilftt.    5l((e§  entbed't. 

ft.  S^eH^cim.    3^^*^^^  ^^^  ^^"^^  ^^^f  ^^^'^)^  ^^^^  grautein. 
3d)  bin  !ein  ^crrdter.    ®ie  ^aben  um  mid)  in  ben  SIngen  15 
ber  ilBett  t)ie(  oerloren,  abcr  nid)t  in  meinen.    3n  meinen 
5(nt3en  {)abcn  'Sie  unenblid)  burd)  bic[en  ^erlnft  gewonuen. 
(gr  mar  3()nen  nod)  jn  neu  ;  @ie  fiird)teten,  er  modjk  einen 
adjn  nad)tei(ii3en  (Sinbrnd  auf  mid)  mad)en ;  eie  modten 
mir  i()n  uor^3  erfte  Derbergen.     3d)  befd)incre  mid)  nid)t  20 
itber  biefe^  DJii^trauen.    G^  entfprang  an^  bem  ^erlangen, 
mid)  jn  er()a(ten.    ©iefc^  ^Berlangen  ift  mein  ^toi] !    ©ie 
fanben  mid)  felbft  nngliidlid),  nnb  ■  Sie  moHten  Ungfiicf 
nid)t  mit  Ungliid  ()dufcn.     'Sie  fonnten  nid)t  tiermnten, 
mie  fe^r  mid)  Ql]v  Ungdid  iiber  ha^  meinige  I}inan^fe^en  25 
mitrbe. 

^tt0  gfroulcin.  ^Ide^  red)t  gnt,  §err  9}Zaior!  5lber  e§ 
ift  nnn  einmat  gefd)el)en.  Qd)  ^ahc  ^ie  3f)rer  ^er^ 
binb(id)feit  ertaffen ;  8ie  f)aben  bnrd)  3i^i'ii^'ttcf)ntnng  be^ 
9iinge^  —  3c 

ft.  Xtti\)nm,  Qn  nid)t§  gemidigt !  —  5>ie(mef)r  l)aiic  id) 
mid)  jct^^t  fiir  gebnnbener  al^  iemal^.  —  <Sie  finb  bie  Wd- 


116  SJiinno  t)on  58arnl)elm. 

nige,  Wmna,  auf  eit)ig  tie  3}^cmie3e.     3te^t  ben  Siing  ^eraug. 
§icr,  empfangen  Bk  e^  gum  ^meitcn  Wflak,  ba$  Unter^ 
pfanb  inciner  Zvmc  — 
Xa§  grjiulcin.    ^li)  btefen  Dxing  iDieberne()men  ?  biefen 

5  muy? 

D.  ^cflOcim.    3^r  Hcbftc  3}2inna,  ja ! 

2)ttg  grdulcin.    ^IhiS  muteu  (Sie  mir  p  ?  biefen  9img  ? 

ft.  ^cUljcim.     !^icfcu  Diintj  nal)men  @ie  ba§  erfte  ^D^al 

au^  mciner  §anb,  aU  unfcr  bcibcr  Uinftcinbe  einaubcr  g(eid) 

10  nnb  gliid'Iic^  waxcxu     @tc  finb  ludjt  mcl)r  glitdlidj,  aber 

tt)ieberum  ctnanber  gletd).    @(etd}l)eit  ift  tmmer  ba§  feftefte 

^anb  ber  l^iebe.  —  griauben  @ie,  liebfte  DJ^inna !  —  ergreift 

i|re  |)anb,  urn  i^r  ben  9iing  anjutlerfcn. 

2)a5  groulctn.     'Mc  ?   mit  ©cmatt,  gerr  aj^ajor  ?  — 
15  9tein,  ba  ift  t'eine  ©eiualt  in  ber  Selt,  bie  mid)  jmingen 

foil,  biefen  $Hing  iwiebev  anjunc^inen! SO^einen  (2ie 

etiDa,  ha^  c^  mir  an  einem  3itnge  fel)lt?  —  O,  @ie  fe^en 
ja  iDol)!,  auf  ibren  sting  jcigenb    baf^  id)  I)ier  nod)  einen  l)abe, 
ber  -Sbrem  nid)t  ba^  gerinc^fte  nad)i3icbt?  — 
20     i?ron;5i§fo.    3Benn  cr  e^  nod)  nid)t  merit !  — 

t».  2^eft()cim  inbem  er  bie  ^anb  be(3  grdulein^  fasten  Ia§t.     2Ba§  ift 
ha^? —  3d)  fel)e  ba^  grcinlein  oon  ^arn()elm,  aber  id) 
Ijovc  e^  nid)t  —  @ie  gieren  fid),  mein  grcinlein.  —  ^ergeben 
©ie,  ba\^  id)  3l)nen  biefen  ifi>ort  nad)brand)e. 
25       ^o§  graulcitt  in  i^rcm  wal)ren  3:one.     §at  ^ie  biefe^  SKort 
beleibigt,  gerr  9}?aior? 
ft.  2cU!)cim.    (S§  1:)at  mir  mel)  gctl)an. 
2)00  ^roulcin  gcrii^rt.     'Da^  follte  e§  nid)t,  2^el(f)eim.  — 
iBer3ci[]en  (gie  mir,  Xeni)eim. 
30     ft.  XtMcim,    §a,  biefer  ocrtranIid)e  ^Ton  fagt  mir,  bag 
@ie  tpieber  ^n  fid)  fommen,  mein  grdnlein,  ha^  8ie  mid) 
nod)  tieben,  9}tiuna.  — 


fjiinftcr  ^luf,^ug.     ^unftcr  ^luftritt.  HT 

^ran^i^ftt  ^erau^piafeenb.  ^a(b  iDdre  bcr  iSpag  and)  ^u  incit 
gecjangen.  — 

^ag  i?rouIctn  se^eterifc^.  d)ne  bid)  in  imfer  @pie(  ju 
mcngctt,  gran^i^fa,  menu  id)  bitten  bavf !  — 

|?rttnji0ftt  bd  Seite  unb  betroffen.     9tOd)  nid)t  C^cnVLC^  ?  5 

^00  i^fiiulcin.  Qa,  nieiu  $err,  ei5  i;}dre  ipeiblid)e  (vitel- 
!eit,  mid)  fait  uub  t)b()nifd)  ^u  ftellen.  Secj  hamit  I  (2ie 
Derbienen  e^,  mid)  ebcn[o  n)al)rl)aft  ju  finben,  aU  ®ie  felbft 
finb.  —  Qd)  (iebe  Sie  nod),  !i;e(n)eim,  id)  liebe  Sie  nod) ; 
abcr  bemo()ngead)tet  —  10 

ft.  XtUfit'm.     3^id)t  meiter,  (iebfte  9}^iuna,  nid)t  meiter! 

©rgretft  t^re  |)anb  no(^ma(5,  \i)x  ben  Sting  anjujlecfen. 

^a§  ^xiiukin  bie  i^re  ^anb  jurucfjie^t.  !r;emot)ni3ead)tet,  — 
um  fo  t)ie(  me()r  werbc  id)  biefe^  nimmermcl)r  ge|'d)cl)en 
(affeii ;  nimmermcl)r !  —  So  benfen  2k  I)in,  §err  ^D^qor  ?  15 
—  ^d)  meinte,  ^ie  l)dtten  an  3l)i*cni  eignen  Ungliicfe  gc* 
nug.  —  2k  miiffen  ^ier  bleibeit ;  Sie  mitffcn  fid)  bic  alter' 
Dollftdnbigfte  ©enugtl)nung  —  ertrot^^en.  Qd)  meij3  in  ber 
(^efd)n)inbig!cit  feiu  anber  Sort.  —  (irtrol^en,  —  nnb  follte 
@ie  and)  ba§  duBerftc  (vleub  oor  ben  5lugen  S^vcv  ^>er=  20 
tenmber  bariiber  oer^eljren! 

ft.  XtUf)t'm,  2o  bad)f  id),  fo  fprad)  id),  a(§  id^  nid)t  tDugte, 
njaS  ic^  bad)te  nnb  fprad).    Srgerni^  nnb  Derbiffene  Sut 
l^atten  meine  gan^e  ^eele  nmnebelt ;  bie  ?iebe  felbft,  in  bem 
t)ollften  (^ange  be§  @lii(fei5,  fonnte  fid)  barin  nid)t  Xac\  25 
fd)affen,    5lber  fie  feubet  it)re  2od)ter,  ha^  DJtitlcib,  bic,  mit 
bem  finftern  @d)mcr^;;e  t)ertranter,  bie  TaM  gerftreut  unb 
alle  3it9^wge  metner  ©eele  ben  Sinbriirfeu  ber  3iii*tlid)feit 
luieberum  i)ffnet    !^er  Xrieb  ber  8elbfterl)altuug  eruiad)t, 
ba  id)  etmaS  ^oftbarere^  gu  ert)alten  t)abe  ai^  mid),  unb  c^  30 
burd)  mid)  gn  er^alten  ^be.    Saffen  2k  fid),  mein  ^•vim^  ' 
Icin,  ba§  Sort  2)Zitleib  nid)t  beleibigcn.    ^on  ber  nnfd)nl= 


178  9Jiinna  Don  !^arnf)clm. 

bigen  Urfadje  unfcrS  Ungliicfg  foimcn  inir  e§  oljue  (grnic* 
brigung  l)orei!,  3cf)  t)i^  bic[e  Urfadje ;  burd)  mid),  DJ^inna, 
Derlieren  (2ie  g-reimbe  uub  ^Inuenuanbte,  ^^crmogeu  unb 
^^atcrlanb.    'A^nxdj  mid),  in  mir  milffcn  ^ie  allc^  tuieber- 

5  finben,  ober  id)  l)abc  ba^  ^krberben  ber  ^iebeu^lDiirbigftett 
S'^re^  ®efd)led)t^  auf  meincr  eeele.  i^affen  (3ie  mid)  feine 
3u!itnft  benfeu,  \vo  id)  mid)  felbft  I)affcn  mltjte.  —  9tein, 
\nd]U  foil  mid)  I)ier  liinger  l)a(tem  ^^on  biefcm  ^(ugenblirfe 
an  ipill  id)  bem  Unrcd)tc,  ha^  mir  I)ier  n)ibcrfaf)rt,  nid)t^  a(^ 

lo  ^Ncrad)tuni3  cntgcgenfct^cm  3  ft  biefc^  £'anb  bie  SBelt  ? 
@cl)t  I)icr  aUcin  bie  Sonne  anf?  S©o  barf  id)  nid)t  I)in' 
fomiuen?  Se(d)e  3)ienfte  iDirb  man  mir  t)crmeigcrn?  Unb 
miiJ3te  id)  fie  nntcr  bem  entfcrnteften  ^immcl  fnd)cn  :  folgen 
(Bk  mir  nnr  gctroft,  liebfte  9}tinna  ;  e^  fo((  nn§  an  nidjt^ 

15  fcl)(en.  —  Qd)  t)abe  cincn  grcnnb,  ber  mid)  gern  unter- 

\m,  -  

(Scc^ftcr  tuftritt. 

©in  SeliJiagcr.     tJ.  2!ctt^cun.     ^aB  ivriiulcln.     {^ronjiifa. 

^ranji^fa    inbem  fie  ben  g^elbjager  9cwal)r  wtrb.       (St !     ^err 
2osDf^ajor  — 

ti.  2!clll^eim  gcgcn  ben  gelbiagcr.     ^u  Wm  iDoIkn  (Sie  ? 
^cr  i^eliJitiger.    ^fi)  fud)e  ben  §errn  ^Dtajor  Don  "XclU 
I)eim.  —  Hr  (Sie  finb  e§  Ja  felbft.     SJteiu  §crr  ^Dtajor, 
biefe^  !bntg(id)C  §anbfd)reiben  !Da^  er  aue  feincr  53rieftafd)e  nimmt. 
25  l)abe  id)  an  ®ie  ^n  itbergcben. 

24.  3n  ber  „33erglcid)itng  beutfd)er  Sorter  unb  9?eben^arten  mtt  frembcn" 
fcigt  Seffing ;  „|)  a  n  b  f  d)  r  e  i  b  e  n ,  tm  Stylo  curiae  wm  f oniglid)en  23ricfcn, 
cber  anbern  feoben  g)erfonen  gebrau(^ltd).  ©0  nenncn  auc^  bie  ^rvin^ofcn 
lettres  de  la  main  Sriefe,  n)c(d)e  ber  ^onig  fel&ft  gefd)rtct>en;  ober  bod)  unter= 
iieid)nct  i)at."    2Sgl.  oben  <S.  149,  3.  9. 


gunftcr  ^uf3ug,     ©iebenter  ^uftritt.         179 

ft.  ^cfl^cim.    5ln  mtd)  ? 

^cr  Sfclbiiiflcr.     ^^f^^O^  ^^^  5Iuffd)rift  — 

^a§  ^v'anidn,  granji^fa,  Ijdrft  bu?  —  !4^er  d^eoalier  ^at 
bod)  ma()r  gercbet ! 

^cr  iJcHJiogcr  inbem  3;ea^eimbenS3rtcf  nimmt.      Q^  bttte  um    5 
^erjetljuncj,  §crr  lUtajor  ;  (Sie  i)dttcn  c^  bereit^  gcftern  er- 
Ijalten  follen ;  abcr  e§  ift  mir  nic^t  mogtirf)  gewefen,  ^ie 
au^^ufragciu     (5rft  ^eute  auf  ber  'parabe  ^abe  ic^  3^)^^ 
SSol)nung  oon  bcm  i'icutenant  S^iccaut  erfaljrett. 

Srunjigftt.    (^nilbige^  grciulein,  l)bren  Sie  ?  —  !Da§  ift  10 
be§  SIjeDalier^  iDciniftcr.  —  „Sie  Ijci^eu  ber  3}itnifter  ba 
brauB  auf  bie  brcite  ^(alj  ?"  — 

ft.  XeUWim-    -Scf)  bin  Oljnen  fiir  -3^)re  3}^u^e  fel)r  t)er* 
buiiben. 

^cr  ^elftiiiger.    (5^  ift  mcine  ©cfiulbigfeit,  @err  SD^ajor. 


5 


Siekntcr  5luftntt. 
ft.  XtUf^dm,    Xa§  graufcin.     ^ranjisfo. 

ft.  XtUf^t'm.  It),  raein  graulein,  maS  l)abe  id)  I)icr  ?  S5>a§ 
ent()d(t  biefe^  Sdjreiben?  20 

.    ^ttg  grttttletn.    Qdj  bin  nid)t  bcfugt,  meine  5^eugierbe  fo 
meit  ju  erftrecfen. 

ft.  XtU^tim.    ^^ie?   (Sie  trennen  mcin  (^djidfal  nod)  t)on 
bem  -3f)^*^9ci^  ?  —  -^^^^  iDaruut  ftel)'  id)  an,  e^  ju  erbred)cn  ? 

—  (S§  fann  mid)  nid)t  nng[Ud(td)er  mad)en,  aB  tc^  bin ;  25 
nein,  tiebfte  3}2inna,  c§  fann  un^  nid)t  ungfiidlidier  mad)en, 

—  tt)ot)t  aber  gUtcflid)er !  —  (5r(aubcn  2ic,  mein  grdnlcin ! 

Grbrid)t  unb  lieft  ben  Srief,  inbe^  ba9  ber  2Birt  an  bie  ©cene  9efc^lid)en 
fommt. 


180  aJHnna  bon  !!l3Qrnf)elm. 

n^itx  5luftritt. 

2)cr  SBirt  gcgen  bie  granai^fa.   ^ft !  mem  fd)one§  ^'inb !  auf 
ein  2Bort ! 
5       iVranjigfo  hk  m  i^nt  na^ert.     geiT  SBirt?  —  ©emiB,  Wix 
iDiffcn  felbft  nod)  nidjt,  \va^  in  bem  ^ricfe  fte^t. 

3er  SBirt.  Ser  iDiK  Dom  ^ricfe  \m\\cn  ?  —  ^dj  fomme 
bciS  9imi3e!$  iDCtjcn.  ®a^  gncibige  grdulein  mufe  mir  t^u 
g(ctd)  iinebergeOcn.     3uft  ift  ba,  er  foil  il)n  micbcr  emtofen. 

10       Xa§  ^xaukln  bie  fic^  inbe^  Qki^faM  bem  2Birte  gcndfeert.     @agen 

@te  3ufk^^  ^^ur,  baB  er  fdjon  emgetoi't  fei ;  unb  fageu  @te 
t()m  mir  t)on  iDem  :  t)oii  mir. 
^cr  aSirt.    5(5er  — 

^Qg  ?5raulcin.     Qd)  ne^me  alks  auf  mt(^ ;  gel)en  @ie 
15  bod) !     2)er  SBirt  gef)t  aK 


nninkv  5(uftritt. 
!j.  ^eH^eim.     2)a§  i^riiulein.     i^ranjigfa. 

^ronjisfa.    llnb  nun,  gnabige^^  graiilein,  laffen  ©ie  c^ 
mit  bem  armen  ^^JMjor  gut  fein. 
20     ^a0  i^roulcin.     £),  iibcr  bie  33orbitterin !    5l(§  ob  bcr 
^noten  fid)  nid)t  non  fe(bft  balb  lofen  mii^te. 

tJ.  ScH^eim  nad)bcni  cr  gelefen,  mit  ber  Icb^afteften  ^Jii^rutig.      §a  ! 

er  i)at  fid)  aud)  I)icr  uidjt  ner(eugnet !  —  D,  mein  J^raulein^ 
Wddjc  ©credjtigfeit !  —  ti^elc^e  @nabe !  —  ^a§  ift  mel)r, 


gunfter  ^ufjuc^.     ^cunter  ^uftritt.  181 

ai^  id)  crmartct !  —  ^M)v,  aU  id)  tierbicne !  —  9J^cm  (3iM, 
meine  (S^ve,  alici^  ift  wkhcx  (jergcftellt !  —  3d)  trciume  hod) 
Tlidjt  ?     Snbem  er  tDiebcr  in  ben  23rief  fiel)t,  al^  urn  fid)  nod)ma(^  ju  iiber:* 

jeitgcn,  Tidn,  fciu  ^Ictibiucil  mcincv  ^Bimfdjc !  —  fsicfen  (Sie 
felt) ft,  mein  grdulcin  ;  Icfcn  3tc  fclbft!  5 

2)a0  i^riiulein.      Qd)   bin   nid;t   fo    uiibefdjciben,  §cit 

d.  2:cU^ctm.    Unbc|d)ciben?    3^er  ^rief  ift  an  mid),  an 
S\)vcn  ^ellbcim,  aitinna.     Qv  cntl)dlt,  \m^  3t)nen  Qi)v 
O^eim  nidjt  neljnicn  fann.    ^k  miiffcn  i()n  lefcn ;  (efcn  10 
©ie  bodj! 

^a§  Sttiulcin.    Senn  3^nen  ein  ®cfa((e  bamit  gef(^iel)t, 
§err  ^ajor  —  ®ie  nimmt  ben  33iief  unb  liejl, 

Wlc'm  Uebcr  a}Zaior  t)on  Xc(({)cim! 

-3d)  t()ne  (5nd)  p  iniffcn,  ba§  ber  ganbcl,  ber  mii^  itm  15 
(Sure  C£l)re  bcforgt  mad)te,  fid)  ju  (i-nrem  ^^ortcil  auf* 
geftdrt  (]at.    DJ^cin  ABruber  irar  bed  D^d()ern  baoon  nnter= 

ric^tet,  unb  fein  ,3^^^^^  ^^"^^  ^^^4  fii^  i^^^'  ^^^  uit= 
fd)utbig  erf  (art.  !r)ie  §offtaatdfaffe  I)at  Orbre,  (5ud)  ben 
bemu^teu  Scd)fel  inieber  au^^^uliefern  unb  bie  gctl)anen  20 
^orfd)uffe  ju  bc5at)lcn  ;  and)  t)abe  id)  befo()(en,  bag  adc^S, 
toad  bic  gelbfricgofaffen  miber  Cure  9icd)nungen  urgiercn, 
nieberfd)tai3en  mcrbc.  iWelbet  mir,  ob  Gud)  (5ure  ©efunb^ 
l^eit  eriaubt,  inieber  '4)icnfte  ju  nc^men.  Qd)  mdd)te 
nid)t  gern  eincn  Wlann  Don  (Surer  :^raiiour  unb  !renf==  25 
ungdart  entbcl)ren.  3d)  bin  (5uer  iDo^taffeftionierter 
£bnii3  2C. 

t).  ^efl^cim.  9cun,  mad  fageu  ^ie  (jier^u,  mein  grdulein? 

^ttS  ivtiiulein  inbcm  c5  ben  Srief  rcieber  aufammenfdUagt  unb  i^m  ju^ 

radgiebt.      Qd)?  nid)td.  3° 


182  5[Jfinna  t)on  ^43arnl)elm. 

b.Xm^lm.    9tid}t5? 

^00  ^x'dukin,  'S^od)  [a  :  ha^  Qi)v  ^ontg,  ber  eiu  grower 
3}?aim  ift,  aud)  tt)ol}(  ein  guter  ^Dhnu  fcin  mag.  —  Iber 
iua^  gel)t  mid)  hai!>  an?    &  ift  nid)t  mein  ^onig. 

5  ti.  tcUWim.  Unb  fonft  fagen  Sie  nidjt^'?  Tadjik  in 
e^iitffidjt  auf  nn^  felbft? 

^ag  Smufeitt.  ©ie  treten  tuieber  in  feine  ^icnfte  ;  ber 
©err  3}Mior  luirb  Dberftlicutcnant,  Oberfter  DicUcidjt.  3cl) 
gratnltere  Don  §er3en. 

10  tj.  XtUfitim,  Unb  ^ic  f'ennen  ini^  nidjt  beffer  ?  —  ^^cein, 
ha  mix  ha^  (3iM  fo  t)iel  juriicfgtcbt,  ai^  genng  ift,  bie 
Sitnfc^e  eine^  uerniinftigcn  DJtanne^  gu  befriebigen,  foil  e§ 
ein3ig  oon  meiner  iD^inna  abl)angcn,  ob  id)  fonft  nod)  jentan^ 
bem  loieber  pgeljoren  foil  al^  i()r.    Si)Ycm  ^ienfte  atlein 

15  fei  mein  gan.^e^  I'ebcu  gemibmct !  3^ie  !5)ienftc  ber  ©rogcn 
finb  gefdl)rlid)  unb  (oI)nen  ber  Tlnljc,  be^  3^^^'^^9^^r  ^^^ 
(grniebrigung  nidjt,  bie  fie  foften.  9Jiinna  ift  feine  oon  ben 
(viteln,  bie  in  i()ren  ^Dtdnnern  nid)t§  aU  ben  S^^itel  unb  bie 
(Sl)renfte((e  lieben.     (Sie  tnirb  mid)  um  mid)  felbft  lieben, 

20  unb  id)  werbe  nin  fie  bie  gan^e  3i'e(t  oergeffen.  3d)  ^^arb 
®olbat  au§  ^Hirteilid)feit,  id)  ipcig  fetbft  nid)t  fiir  ine(d)e 
po{itifd)e  ©runbfii^e,  unb  au§  ber  ©ride,  ha^  e§  fitr  jeben 
el)rlid)cn  Ttann  gut  fei,  fid)  in  biefem  (^tanbe  eine  3cittang 
ju  »erfud)en,  um  fid)  mit  adem,  lua^  (^efal)r  ^eigt,  oer= 

25  traulid)  ju  madjen  unb  f  dtte  unb  i5ntfd)(offenI)eit  gu  lernen. 
Taw  bie  du^erfte  ?tot  l)dtte  mid)  junngen  fdnnen,  au§  biefem 
S3erfud]e  eine  ^eftimmung,  au^^  bicfer  ge(egent(id)en  ^e^ 
fd)dftigung  ein  ©anbmer!  ^u  mad)en.  5lber  nun,  ha  mid) 
ntd)t^  mef)r  jtningt,  nun  ift  meiii  ganger  (St)rge{3  uneberum 

30  ein^ig  unb  adein,  ein  rul)iger  unb  jufriebener  9J?enfd)  3U 
fein.  "A^cx  tnerbe  id)  mit  3()ticn,  ticbj'te  SOtinna,  unfet)lbar 
inerbcn  ;  ber  incrbe  id)  in  Ql)xcx  ®efedfd)aft  unoerdnberlidj 


gunfter  ^^ufsug.     !Jlcunter  ^uftritt.  183 

bfeibcn.  —  ^D^orcjen  Dcrbinbe  un^  ba^  I)eine3fte  ^anb  ;  uub 
fobaun  luoKen  luir  urn  un^  fe()en  uub  luoUcn  in  bcr  Gan^eit 
uiciten  beiuo()nten  2Be(t  ben  ftillftcn,  I)eiterftcn,  (adjcnbften 
SKinfct  [ndjcn,  bcm  juni  ^parabicfc  iiidjte  fcljlt  a(^  cin  glucf- 
Itd)Ci5  '^aai\  Ta  moKen  inir  niol)nen  ;  ba  fo((  jcbcr  nn[rcr  5 
Jage  —  ilBa^  ift  OD^^en,  nictn  grdiilein?  T)k  fid)  unrui)ig  ^iit 
unb  ^er  tt}enbet  unb  i^re  JRiilirung  ju  tierbcrgeu  fuc^t. 

^tt0  groulein  fid)  faffenb.  (gie  finb  fe(}r  cjraufani,  Xc(I()ehn, 
mir  ein  ©liicf  fo  vci^enb  barjuftetlen,  bem  id)  entfagen  mu^. 
^JJt'cin  5?crhift  —  10 

ti.  2:ea^cim.  3()r  ^erhtft  ?  —  Sa5  nenncn  ^ie  3 D'^en 
^Ssrtuft?  3({(e^,  xt)a^  9J^inna  ncrliercn  fonnte,  ift  nidjt 
SJ^inna.  ^k  finb  no(^  ba^  fiiB^ftc,  Iieb(id)fte,  l)o(bfe(it3ftc, 
befte  (S5efd)dpf  nntcr  ber  (Sonne,  gan3  ©iite  nnb  (S^ro^mut, 
c\an]  lln|d)u(b  nnb  grenbe !  —  T)ann  nnb  luann  ein  flciner  15 
IDcUtmiUe ;  l)ier  imb  ba  ein  menig  Crigenfinn  —  I^efto  beffer ! 
befto  beffer!  SOtinna  mcire  fonft  ein  (5nge(,  htn  id)  mit 
(Sd)anbern  Derci)ren  miiJ3te,  hen  id)  nid)t   lieben  fonnte. 

(grgrcift  ibre  |)anb,  fie  pt  fiiffen. 
^00  t^rttulein  bie  i{}re  |)anb  ^uvitcf^ic^t.     ^Jtid)t  fo,  meiu  §eiT !  20 

—  5i>ie  anf  cinniat  fo  uerdnbcrt  ?  —  3  ft  bicfcr  fd)meid)elnbe, 
ftiirmifdje  ^x^icbljaber  ber  taitc  Xcl(f)eim?  —  fonnte  nur  fein 
n)ieber!el)renbe§  &iM  i{)n  in  biefc^^  gener  fe^en?  —  (5r  er- 
(anbe  mir,  baB  id)  hci  fcincr  ffiegcnbcn  §it^c  fiir  un§  beibe 
Uberlcgnng  bel)a(te.  —  3Ud  er  fclbft  itberlcgen  fonnte,  f)orte  25 
id)  i()n  fagen  :  e^  fei  eine  nid)t<?nnirbige  I'iebe,  hk  fein  ^e= 
benfen  trage,  il)ren  ©egenftanb  ber  23erad)tnng  an^^^ufel^en. 

—  ^tdjt ;  aber  id)  beftrebe  mid)  einer  eben  fo  reinen  nnb 
eblcn  2iebe  ai^  cr.  —  ^el^t,  ha  x\)n  hk  &)vc  rnft,  ha  fid) 
cin  grower  i)3Zonard)  nm  if)n  bctuirbt,  fodte  id)  jngeben,  ha]^  3° 
er  fid)  ucriicbten  Xrdnmcreien  mit  mir  iiberlief^e  ?  ha]i  bcr 
rnI)mt)o(le  ^rieger  in  cinen  tdnbefnben  Sd)dfer  ani?arte  ?  — 


184  ^IRinna  toon  ^-8arnf)ctm. 

^Jiein,  §ciT  ^D^ijor,  fodjen  @ie  bem  Sin!  QO^t^  bc'ifcni 
<S(^tcffa(^  — 

ti.  XtU^tim,  ^Jtun  n)of)( !  Senn  3I)^en  tie  gro^e  Selt 
reigenbcr  ift,  DJtHuna,  —  \voi]i !   fo  bel)alte  un§  bie  grofe 

5  SBclt !  —  illHe  ttein,  roie  armfetttj  ift  biefe  groje  SSelt !  — 
@ie  fetineu  fie  nur  erft  uoit  if)rer  glittcrfcitc.  ^ber  geiuig, 
9}^tnna,  @ie  inerben  —  (5^  fci!  -^i^  bal)in,  ipot)!!  CS^ 
foil  3l)rcn  iBoUfommen()eiten  nid)t  an  ^etDunberern  fel)len, 
unb  luetuem  (^(itcfe  ipivb  c^  nidjt  an  ^ccibern  i]ebred)en. 

10  2a§  iraulein.  9icin,  Xellljetm,  fo  ift  cv^  nidjt  cjenieint ! 
3(^  \m]c  ^ie  in  'i)it  gro^e  Selt,  anf  bie  ^al)n  ber  (gl)re 
jnritcf,  o()ne  ^fjncn  bal)in  folgen  jn  inollen.  —  SDovt  brandjt 
2:cltf)cim  eiiie  nnbefdjolteue  ©attin !  (gin  fdd}fifdje$  uer^ 
laufcnc^  grciutein,  ha^  fid)  i()ni  an  ben  l^opf  getnorfen  — 

15       t).  2^cfl05^im  auffal)renb  unb  Jvtlb  urn  ficfe  fe^enb.      ill^er  barf  fo 

fpi-ed)en?  —  2l(),  ^Diinna,  id)  erfdjvede  Dor  niir  fclbft,  menn 

id)  mir  DorfteWe,  i>a^  jenmnb  anber^  biefc^  gcfagt  l)dtte  al6 

(Sie.    dJlc'mc  Sut  gcgen  il)n  luitrbe  oI)ne  (^renjen  fcin. 

XaB  grciulein.     ^3tnn  ha  I    ^a^  eben  beforge  id).     <^k 

20  nnirben  nid)t  bie  gcringftc  ^pbtterei  iiber  mid)  bnlben,  nnb 

bod)  iniirben  ^ie  tdgtid)  bie  bitterften  einpneljmen  l)aben. 

—  tnr3,  l)oren  (gie  atfo,  ^edljeim,  inaiJ  id)  fcft  befd)Ioffen, 

niooon  uiid^  nid)t^  in  ber  Selt  abbringen  foil  — 

t.  XtUWitn.  (S()e  8ie  an^rcbcn,  g-rdulein,  —  id)  befdjUnire 

25  ^^ie,  9J^inna !  —  iiberlegen  @ie  e^  nod)  cinen  5lngenblitt 
ha^  Bk  mir  ha^  Urteit  iiber  \^eben  nnb  Xob  fprcd)cn ! 

2)a0  ,^raulcin.  £)^ne  tneitere  llberiegnng !  —  <Bo  gemig 
id)  3i)nen  ben  9Ung  juriidgegeben,  mit  uieid)em  (Sie  mir 
el)emal^  3bre  ^rene  oerpftidjtet,  fo    gcmig    (Sic  biefen 

30  ndm(id)en  &iing  gnriidgenommen  :  fo  gcmij]  foil  bie  un= 
gUtdlid)e  :Q3arnl)elni  bie  (^attin  bei^  gliicflid)ern  Xelll)eimg 
nie  iDcrben! 


gttnftcr  ^ufsug.     ^Jlcuntet  ^uftritt.  185 

ft.  XtU^tm.    Unb  I)iermit  hxcdjm  ©ie  \)m  (Stab,  grau^ 
fein? 

^a0  Sriiulein.  (^kldfydt  ift  adcin  ba§  feftc  53aub  bcr 
^iebe,  —  X)ie  glucfltdjc  -^arnfjelm  uninfdjte  nur  fiir  ben 
ptdadjcn  Xcdljcim  ^u  Icben.  %nd)  bie  unGlucfUdje  Winm  5 
l^dtte  fid)  enblid)  iiberrcben  (a]"[en,  ba^  llnt3liicf  tl)rc^  greunbe^ 
burd)  fid),  e§  fet  ju  Dcruict)rcn  ober  ju  linbcrn.  —  (Sr  be- 
medte  e^  \a  it)o()(,  ct)c  biefcr  -^ricf  atifam,  bcr  alle  @(eid)' 
l^eit  .^inifdjcu  un§  mtcber  aufljcbt,  luie  fcljr  gum  ©djcin  id) 
mid)  nur  nod)  iDcigcrte.  10 

ft.  XtUfitm.  3ft  ba§  tpat)r,  mein  grciulcin?  —  -3d)  banfe 
3^)ncn,  ^JJ^inna,  bag  ©ie  ben  ©tab  nod)  nid)t  gebrod)en.  — 
(gie  ttjollen  nur  ben  uni3lli(flid)en  Xe(U)cim?  Gr  ift  3U 
fiaben.  tait.  3d)  empfinbe  cben,  baj3  e^  mir  unanftcinbig 
ift,  biefc  fpdtc  @ered)tit3fcit  an5unel)meii ;  ha^  c^  bcffer  fein  15 
n)irb,  menu  id)  ba^,  \m^  man  burd)  einen  fo  fd)impf(id)en 
^erbac^t  entc()rt  ^at,  gar  nic^t  tDieberuerlange.  —  ^a,  id) 
win  ben  -53rief  nid)t  betomnien  l]ahtn,    ^a§  fet  alle^,  ttja^ 

id)  barauf  autmorte  unb  tl)Ue  !      3m  Scgriff,  ifen  ?u  jm-eigen. 

XaS  ^riiulcin  tai  t^m  in  bie  ^anbe  grcift.      ifi3a§  lUoUeu  @ie,  20 
2:e(n)eim? 

ft.  ZcUf}tm,    (Sie  befi^en. 

^ttg  i^riiulcin.    fatten  <Sie ! 

ft.  2^efl^cim.    grdulein,  er  ift  unfet)Ibar  jcrriffen,  Ujenn 
©ie  nid)t  balb  fid)  anber^  erftdren.  —  5U^bann  uiolfcn  mir  25 
bod)  fel)en,  ma§  ©ie  nod)  miber  mid)  eingumenbcn  t)aben ! 

^ag  $5raulcin.    SS^ie  ?  in  biefem  Xone  ?  —  ©0  fo(f  id),  fo 
miife  id)  iit  meinen  eignen  5Iugen  t)erdd)t(id)  itierben?  S^im- 
mermel)r !    (^^  ift  eine  nid)t^nnirbigc  ^rcatur,  bic  fid)  nid)t 
fd)dmt,  il)r  gan^e^  (^IM  ber   blinben  3^'i^*ttid)feit  eine^  30 
2[IZanne§  ju  uerbanten! 

ft.  ^efl^cim.    galfc^,  grunbfalfd) ! 


186  5!Jiinna  "oon  ^-Bornl^elm. 

Xa§  ^xdultin,  233ol(en  @tc  e§  tcagen,  Ql)vz  eigne  9?ebe 
in  meinem  0}?unbe  gu  fcf)c[ten? 

ft.  SeH^eim.  (Sopf)ifttn !  (So  entel]rt  fid)  ha^  fdjlDcidjerc 
©cfdjlcdjt  burd)  a((c^,  uni^  bem  ftdvfcrn  nidjt  anfteljt  ?  (So 
5  foil  fid)  bcr  IDtann  alle^  erlauben,  ma^  bem  3S>cibe  gc^^iemt  ? 
Scld)e§  bcftimmtc  bie  ^latux  ^ur  (Stii^e  be§  anbern? 

^00  grdulcin.  :53erul)ii3en  Sie  fid),  3;:e((t)eim  !  —  Qd) 
luerbe  nid)t  gan^  ol)ne  Sd)iitj  fcin,  tneim  id)  fdjon  bie  (S()re 
be^  31)1*^9^^  au^^fd)(agen  niuB.  So  tiiel  mug  mir  immer 
10  nod)  iDerbcn,  a(^  bie  ))lot  erforbert  Qdj  I)abe  mid)  bci  un* 
fcrm  ©cfanbtcn  mclbeit  laffen.  (^r  wiii  mid)  nod)  ^eitte 
fpred)en.  §offentlid)  irirb  er  fid)  meiner  annel)men.  X)ie 
^eit  uerf(icj3t.    (Eriaubcn  Sie,  §crr  dJlaiov  — 

ft.  XtUtit'm,  -3d)  ii^crbe  Sie  bcglcitcn,  gnabigeS  grau* 
15  (ein.  — 

ta§  i^rSuIcin.   5tid)t  bod),  ^tvx  ^Dhijor ;  laffen  Sie  mti^  — 

ft.  XtUf)nm.  (2l)er  foil  3^^  ^djatttn  (Sie  t)erlaffen! 
^omuicn  Sie  nur,  mein  graulein,  uio^in  Sie  tuolien,  gu 
tDem  Sie  tnoHeiu  UbcraU,  an  ^efanute  nnb  Unbcfannte 
20  unll  id)  e^  er5al)(cn,  in  Slmv  ©egenmart  be§  3:agc^  I)un' 
bertmal  erjal)(en,  nic(d)e  :53anbe  Sie  an  mic^  tierfniipfcn, 
au§  ir>c(d)ein  graufamen  Gigenfinne  (Sie  biefe  ^anbe  tren= 
nen  luoUen  — 


25  Sufi,     ^k  95ort0cn. 

3ufl  nttt  Hngcaum.    ©err  3Jtaj,or !  ©err  SJ^ajor ! 

ft.  XtUf^c'm,    9tun  ? 

Sufi,    ^ommen  Sie  bod)  gefc^tniub,  gefd)tDinb ! 

ft.  ZtU^c'm,    SBa^  foil  id)  ?    Qu  mir  l)er !    Sprid),  \va^ 

3oift'§? 


f5fUnfter  ^ufsug.     Sc^nter  ^luftrttt.  18t 

2a§  ^rdulcin  inbeg  bei  ©eite  m  g-ranjiafa.  SJkrfft  bu  n)a§, 
grau^tgfa  ? 

i^ronji^fa.  O,  (2ic  llnbarmf)eqtcje !  3cl)  {)abe  f)icr  ge= 
ftaiibeu  iDic  auf  ^'loi)lcn !  5 

&.  2:eUI)cim  su  3uilcn.  Sa$  fagft  bu?  —  ^a§  ift  ntd)t 
mocjlid} !  —  ^ic  ?    3iibcm  cr  ba^  grdulein  luilb  anMicft.  —  ^ilQ  C^ 

laut ;   facj  e^  i()r  in^  (^efidjt !  —  goren  'Bk  bod},  mcin 
grduktn !  — 

^nft.    ^cr  2i?irt  fagt,  ba§  graulciu  i3on  ^arnl)e(m  IjaBe  10 
ben  Dtincj,  uieldjcn  id)  bci  il)m  Derfclit,  311  fid)  genommen ; 
fie  I)abe  i()n  fiir  ben  itjvigen  erfannt  unb  tDolIe  t^n  ntd)t 
tDteber  I)erau^^geben.  — 

b.  3:cai)cim.  3ft  ba>^  tnaf)!',  mein  grdulein?  —  9'^ein, 
ba§  fault  uid)t  \vai)v  feiu!  15 

^tt0  i^vQuIcin  iad)c(nb.  llub  inanuu  uid)t,  Xein)eim?  — 
SBarum  fauu  e§  uid)t  U)a()r  feiu? 

t).  2eflf)eim  kftfg.  i)iuu,  fo  fei  e^  \va{)x !  —  2Be(d)  fd)rc(f^ 
Ud)e§  lHd)t,  ha^  mix  auf  ciumat  aufgcgaugcu !  —  9'tuu  er= 
feuue  id)  ^Ic,  bie  ga(fd)e,  bie  Uugetreue !  20 

^a§  Sriiutcin  erfd)rDcfen.    Scv  ?  Uicr  ift  biefc  Uugctrcue  ? 

b.  2:cfl^cim.    (gie,  bie  id)  uid)t  mel)r  ucuucu  \mii ! 

^o§  J^raiilcin.     Xc((()cim! 

t).  3!eflOcim.  i^crgeffcu  2ie  mciucu  9?amcu  I  —  (Sie  fameu 
t)ierl]er,  mit  uiir  ^u  brcdicu.    (5^  ift  t(ar !  —  ®aJ3  ber  ^iv-  25 
fall  fo  geru  bcm  Xrculofeu  ;u  ftattcu  fdiumt !    (5r  fiil)rte 
Slwn  S^)xm  9iiug  iu  bie  §dube.   Q{)xc  ^trglift  tuu^te  mir 
ben  meiuigeu  3ii3ufd)au^>en. 

^a0  Sraulcin.  3^elU)eiin,  tua^  fiir  Gkfpcnftcr  fcl)eu  ^ie ! 
gaffeu  Sie  fid)  bod)  uub  I)oreu  3ic  mid).  3° 

gronji^fa  m  ftd).     9tun  mag  fie  c^3  l)abeu ! 


188  SJlinna  uon  33arnl)elm. 


lifter  %n\tviit. 
SBerner  mit  einem  Seutel  ®oib.    ft.  ^efl^etm.    ^a§  Sraukitt. 

SBcrncr.    §ier  bin  id)  fdjon,  §err  SJ^ajor  — 
5       D.  ^efifteim  Di)ne  i^n  an.^ufe^cn.    Ser  nevlangt  bid)  ?  — 

SBcrner.     §ier  ift  @elb,  taufcnb  "$iftoten ! 

ti.  ^efl^eim.    Qd)  \Di((  fie  nic^t ! 

aSerner.    SDtorgen  !onncn  ^Sie,  §err  9}2a}or,  iiber  nod) 
etnmal  foinct  befcl)lcn. 
10     t).  2eUl)eim.    -53cl)a{te  betn  ®e(b ! 

SBcrner.  (g§  ift  [a  3()r  @clb,  §crr  dJlaiov,  —  -3d)  gtaiibc, 
(gie  fct)cit  nidjt,  mit  mem  (Sic  fprcd)en, 

tJ.  2:cfl^eim.     Sccj  bamit !  fag'  id^. 

SKcrncr.     Sa§  f cl)lt  S\wn  ?  —  -3d)  Inn  3©erncr. 
15     ti.  XiMdm.    5lUe  ©iite  ift  ^erftcltnng ;  alle  XJienftfer^ 
tigfcit  ^ctrng. 

SBcrncr.     ®i(t  bn§  mir  ? 

tJ.  3:ea^cim.     5Bic  bu  mitlft ! 

SSerner.     3d)  I)abe  [a  nur  3()^en  ^efcl)(  nod^ogcn.  — 
20     tJ.  2^efl5ctm.    (go  t)onjieI)e  and)  ben  nnb  pad'e  t>idj ! 

SScrncr.    §err  9}?nior !    5trgeritd).   -3d)  bin  ein  Tlm]d)  — 

D.  3rcC^cim.    I^a  bift  bn  \va^  dkdjm ! 

SSerner.    !4)er  and)  ©altc  l)at  — 

b-.  ^efl^cim.    (^nt !    ©alle  ift  noc^  ^a§>  ^efte,  tnaS  luir 
25  I)abcn. 

SSerner.    -3i^  ^'itte  ^k,  §err  ^U^ajor,  — 

b.  2:efl^ctm.    SSie  tiictmat  foU  id)  bir  e^  fagcn  ?    ^dj 
brand)c  bcin  (53ctb  ni^t ! 

SBerner  gomig.    *?tun,  fo  brand)'  c§,  nicr  ba  n)i((  I     3nbcm 
30  cr  il)m  ben  Seutel  »or  bte  gii^e  wirft  unb  hi  ©cite  scl)t. 


f^unftcr  ^ufsug.     Snjolfler  ^luftritt.  189 

®tt0  ^^i-Qulcin  aur  ^rani^i^fa.  W),  Uebe  gTan3t^fa,  id)  ^ttt 
bir  foIgen^oUen.  Qd)  l)abe  ben  ©djeq  ^u  tueit  gctrieben. 
—  T)od)  er  barf  mid)  ja  nur  l)oren  —  5tuf  ibn  gugc^enb. 

^raajilftt,  tie,  ot)ne  bent  graulein  p  antnjorten,  fi^  SBernem  nci^ert. 
^crr  3iHid)tmeiftcr !  —  5 

SBcrncr  miirrifd).    (3clf  (Sie !  — 

i^ranjigftt.    §u !  \m^  finb  ha^  fltr  SQJcinncr ! 

Xa§  ^rdukin.  Xc((()cim  !  —  3^c(d)eim !  2)cr  m  2But  an  ben 
^tngern  nagt,  ba5  ®efid)t  ircgirenbet  unb  md)ta  t)ort.  —  9^cin,  bil'^  ift 

3U  arg !  —  goren  2k  mid)  bod) !  —  8ie  betriigcn  fid) !  —  10 
^in  blo^e^  ^lij^ucrftdnbniS,  —  !^etn)cim !  —  <Sic  modcu 
^f)re  9}|ittna  nid)t  l)oreu?  —  ^^omien  (Bk  einen  fold)cn 
53evbad)t  faffen  ?  —  Sf^  init  3l^)nen  bred)en  luoUen?  —  3^^ 
barum  ^ergefommen  ?  —  3:e{(i)eim ! 


Smolffcr  toftntt.  15 

SttJci  95ebicnfe,  nad^  cinanber  ^on  vevfdnebencn  ©eiten  fiber  ben  ©aat 
laufenb.    ^ic  85ongCtt. 

Set  eiitc  Scbientc.    ©uabitjcS  grciutein,  3f)ro  G^'ceKenj, 
ber  @raf !  — 

^tt  tttiiicre  Scbicttfc.    ($r  fommt,  c}ndbii]C§  grciulein !  —  20 

5?ranji§fa  bie  an^  ^enfler  gctaufen.     (Sr  ift  C§  !  er  ift  e§ ! 

^a§  Stoufein.     3  ft  er'^?  —  O  nun  gefd)tr>inb,  ZclU 
\)dm  — 

b.  2!cPeim  aufetnmaUu  rt(^  felbjlfommenb.  ^tv?  iDerfdmmt? 
S^)x  O^etm,  Srduleiu?  biefer  graufame  0()eim?  —  ii^affen  25 
Sic  il)n  nnr  fommcn ;   (affcn  2k  if)n  nur  fommen !  — 
'^viird)ten  2k  nid)t§ !    (5r  fo((  2ie  mit  fcinem  ^lide  bclci^ 


190  9Jlinna  t)on  Sarnfjelm, 

bioen  biirfcn !    (5r  i}at  e§  mtt  mtr  ju  tl)un, 3u>nr 

cerbiencn  ^ie  e§  uin  micT)  nicljt  — 

Xa§  J^raalein.    @c[cljunnb  mnarmen  (Sie  mid),  ^Teinjeim, 
itnb  nevcjeffen  (Bk  alk^  — 
5       iJ.  2:ea^eim.    §a,  li^enn  id)  xoii^tc,  baj  (Sic  e5  bcrcuen 
fonnteu !  — 

®og  g-raulein.  92ein,  id)  fann  e§  nid)t  bercucn,  mir  ben 
5lnbli(f  3 ()re^  flauaeu  ©crjeu^  iierid)afft  ju  !)aben !  —  5(1), 
lDa§  finb  (gie  fiir  eiit  ^D^mn !  —  Umarmcn  ©ie  -3I)rc 
lo  dJl'mm,  3l)i'e  G(itcf(id)c  DJ^tnna !  abcr  burd)  nidjt^  glitd- 
Iid)er  at§  burd)  @ic!  ©te  fdm  i^m  in  Me  5irmc.  Unb  nun  i{)m 
eutgcgeix !  — 

t).  ^cU^cim.    3Bent  entcjcc^cn? 

^a§  ^vdnUin,    !4}em  bcften  3I)i*cr  uubefannten  grcunbe. 
15      t).  ^eUOcim.     ^Bic? 

Xa§  fvrdulcin.     5)cm  ©rafcn,  meincm  Ol)eim,  metnem 

3)ater,  3l)rem  51>atcr. 9}(eine  gdidjt,  fcin  Uniinne, 

mcine  Gntcrbung  ;  —  tjoreu  (Sie  benn  nid)t,  baj3  a((e§  er== 
bid)tct  ift  ?  —  \^eid)ti3(dubii3er  9?itter ! 
2o     b.  2:eafjcim.     Cvvbtd)tet  ?  —  5(ber  ber  ^^ing  ?  ber  Oiing  ? 

^a§  S-riiufein.  So  I)aben  @ie  ben  9iinc},  ben  ic^  -SD^ien 
Siiritcfiiecjeben  ? 

tJ.  XeUficim.  (Sie  nel)nien  il)n  it»ieber  ?  —  O,  fo  bin  id) 
gliidfid) !  —  §ier,  Wnma !  —  3Bn  ^erau^iic^enb. 
25  ^tt§  ^^roulcin.  (So  befe^en  Ste  if)n  bod)  erft !  —  D,  iiber 
bie  -^linbcn,  bie  nid)t  fel)en  moKen  I  —  2l^eld)er  9iing  ift  e^ 
benn?  ben  id)  Don  3^)^^cn  I)abe,  ober  ben  (Sie  t)on  mir?  — 
3ft  e§  benn  nic^t  ebcn  ber,  ben  id)  in  ben  §anben  be$  Sirt^ 
nid)t  faffcu  uiotlen? 
30     t).  ^cfif)cim.    @ott !  \va^  fel)'  id)  ?  n)a§  f)or'  id)  ? 

^a§  i^raulciu.  SoU  i(^  i^n  nun  n)iebernel)men  ?  folt 
id)  ?  —  (^eben  (Sie  l)er,  gebcn  (Sie  t)er !  9^ei§t  i^n  t^m  an^  ber 
^anb  unb  flecft  i§n  i^m  fel&fl  flit  ben  Singer,    "dlun  ?  ift  adc^  rid)ti(^  ? 


o-iinfter  ^luf3ug.     S)rei3el)ntcr  ^uftritt.        191 

ti.  XtUi)nm.     3Bo  bin  id)  ?  —  3^re  ^anb  fiiffenb.     £),  bo§^ 
l^after  (vnget !  —  micf)  jo  ju  qudlett ! 

^ai  ^x'anUin,    ^icfcij  jur  '^robc,  mciu  lieber  ®cma()(, 
baj  ^ie  mir  nie  cinen  Streid)  fpieleu  foUcn,  o()ne  ha^  id) 
Sfjucxx  nid)t  g(eid)  barauf  iDieber  cinen  jpiele*  —  ^^cnfen  5 
(Bkf  bag  @ie  mid)  nid)t  and)  geqniiit  I)attcn? 

D.  3!cfl^eim.    O  ^ontijbiantiuncn,  id)  l)atte  end)  boc^  !cn= 
ncn  [oden. 

Sranji^fa.    Dtcin,  nia()rl)aftig  ;  id)  bin  ^nr  £omi)biantin 
i^erborbcn.    3d)  I)abe  gcjittcrt  nnb  Qthtbt  nnb  mir  mit  bcr  10 
§aub  ba<3  lUt'ant  3n()a(ten  miiffen. 

^00  ijraulein.    !i'eid)t  ift  mir  meine  9?oI(e  an^  nid)t  ge^ 
iDorben.  —  5(ber  fo  fommen  ^ie  bod) ! 

u.  XcU\}dm.     '3Lod)  fann  id)  mid)  nid)t  ert)oIen.  —  Sie 
U)ol)(,  nnc  fincjftlid)  ift  mir !    ^0  erii)ad)t  man  plol^Iid)  an^  15 
einem  fd)rcd()aften  Xranme! 

2aB  graukin.    Sir  ^anbern.  —  3d)  ^ore  il)n  fd)on. 


^rcijc^ttter  5hiftritt. 

2)er  @rof  bott  SBrut^fal,  tjon  »erfcf)iebenen  SBebienten  unb  bem  SBirte 

begleitet.    ^ic  8)ori0cn.  20 

^cr  @raf  im  ^ereintreten.    (gie  ift  bod)  cjliid lid)  angelangt  ? 
^8g  ^rciulein  bie  i^m  entgegenfpringt.     5(^r  mein  ^atcr  !  — 
^er  @raf.    ^a  bin  id),  liebe  iO^iima !   <Bk  umarmenb.  5(ber 
Wa^f  Tl'a^djtn  ?      3nbem  er  ben  3;ca^eim  gewaBr  voixh,      3?icrnnb' 

3tT)an3ig  ©tnnben  erft  l)ier,  nnb  fd)on  ^c!anntfd)aft,  nnb  25 
f:{)on@efenfdiaft? 

Xa§  grtittlcitt.    $Raten  <Sie,  nier  e^3  ift?  — 

t)cr  (^tttf.    ^od)  nid)t  bein  !I'e(l[)eim? 


192  ^JDiinna  bon  !i8antl;elm. 

2)a§  i^roulcin.  2Ber  fonft  a(§  er  ?  —  ^ommen  (Sie,  3:eil== 
l)etm  !     3^n  bcm  ©rafcn  i^ufii^renb. 

^cr  ©mf.    iD^ciit  .gcrr,  \v\x  f)aben  un§  nic  gefc^en  ;  abcr 

bei  bem  erftcn  ^Inbltcf  gtaubte  id)  ^ie  gu  erfenuen.    Qdj 

5  iDiinfdjte,  ba^  @ie  e§  fein  mbdjten.  —  Umannen  <Bk  mic^. 

©ie  t)aben  meine  uolUge  @od}ad)tung.    ^dj  bitte  urn  Ql)xt 

greunbfdjaft.  —  ^Dletne  ^Jlidjk^  mctne  3^od)tcr  Itcbt  @ic.  — 

^ttg  griiulcin.    S^aS  miffen  ©ic,  mein  S[>atcr !  —  llnb  tft 
fie  blinb,  meine  iHebe  ? 
10     ^er  @rttf.  ^teitt,  ^Dliima,  beine  Siebe  ift  nidjt  blinb  ;  aber 
bein  ii^iebt)aber  —  tft  ftnmm. 

ft.  ^eK^eim  fid)  {f)m  in  bie  5(rme  tverfenb.      \?affen  ^k  mtC^  gU 
mil*  fclbft  fommen,  mein  ^ater !  — 

^er  ©raf.    @o  rec^t,  mein  ©o^n !    Qd)  I)ore  e§  ;  tnenn 

15  bein  -H^nnb  nid)t  planbcrn  fann,  fo  !ann  bein  ger3  bod) 

reben.  —  Qdj  bin  fonft  ben  Dffijicren  Don  biefer  garbe 

Sluf  JeUbeim^  Uniform  weifcnb.    ebcn  nidjt  pt     ^od)  (gie  finb 

ein  c()rUd)er  3)^ann,  Xelll)cim,  nnb  ein  ef)r(id)er  DJ^ann  mag 
fted'en,  in  UKldjcm  ^leibe  er  n»i(I,  man  mn^  if)n  lieben. 
20      Xa§  i?raulcin.    D,  tnenn  ®ie  a(fe§  niiiBten !  — 

^cr  ©raf.    3Ka^  [)inbert%  bag  id]  nidjt  allc^  erfaljre?  — 
So  finb  meine  dimmer,  §eiT  STnrt? 

^cr  ^irt.    Soden  3l)i'o  (S^'celkn^  nnr  bie  @nabe  ^aben, 
I)ier  f)erein  ^n  trcten. 
25     ^cr  (9rQf.    .^omm,  SJ^inna !    fommen  (Sie,  ©err  3)k== 

jor  !     ©ebt  mit  bem  SBirte  nnb  ben  ©ebienten  ah. 

X)ttg  i^tttulcin.    fommen  ©ie,  S^ellljeim ! 
D.  2ePcim.      3^   fotge  3I)nen  ben  ^lugenblicf,  mein 
grdntein.    9tnr  noc^  ein  Sort  mit  biefem  aj^anne !    ©egcn 

30  SBernern  fi*  n^cnbcnb. 

®tt0  griiulciu.     Unb  {a  ein  rec^t  c^uU^  ;  mid)  biinft,  <Bk 
l)aben  ec^  notig.  —  gran;)i^fa,  nid}t  tna^r?    ©em  ®xam  naci). 


gunfter  ^ufaug.     ^aierjelinter  ^uftritt.        193 

S5ier}c§ntct  Stuftritt. 

ti.  XcUfidm,     SBcrncr.     3uf!.     $?rttnji§fa. 

ti.  ^eti^cim  auf  bem  S3eutel  inetfenb,  ben  SBerner  treggetuorfen.   §ier, 

Quit !  —  l)cOe  ben  -^eutel  auf  unb  tracje  il)n  nad)  @au[e. 

@ef) !  —  3u|^  bamit  aK  5 

SBcrncr  ber  nod)  immer  mitrrifd)  tm  SBinfcl  gejlanben  unb  an  nid)t<3  Steil 

p  ncl)mcn  gei'd)tenen,  tnbem  er  ba^  ^ort.     Qa,  UUu! 

D.  2:cU^cim  »ertrauii(^  auf  i^n  i$uge^enb.  SBemer,  iDanti  iawxi  id) 
bie  anbern  taufenb  ^^^iftolen  Ijabcu  ? 

SBcrncr  auf  einmat  tineber  in  fcincr  guten  i^aune»      OJioVCjen,  §eiT  lo 
9}^ajor,  morgcn.  — 

tj.  ^cU^cim.  Qd)  braudje  bein  ®djitlbner  ntdjt  ju  iDcrben  ; 
abcr  id)  mid  beiu  9^entmcifter  fein.  (Sad)  gut()er3ii3cti  l?cutcn 
follte  man  alien  einen  i^orniunb  fet^en.  SD^  feib  eine  )![i-t 
^^erfdjinenber.  —  3d)  l)abe  bid)  t)orl)in  er^iirnt,  iC^eruer!  —  15 

aaSerncr.  ^ci  meiner  aniien  >Sec(e,  ja !  —  3d)  W^^  i^l^cr 
bod)  [0  ein  Xol))d  nidjt  fein  fo((en.  9tun  fcl)'  id^'^  n)o()L 
3c^  t)erbiente  ()unbert  gud)te(.  ^affen  Sic  mir  fie  auc^ 
fd)on  geben  ;  nur  meiter  feiucn  @ro(I,  lieber  Walox !  — 

11.  ^ett^cim.     (Scroll  ?  —  3bm  bie  |)anb  brucfenb.      ?ie§  e§  in  20 
tneincn  ^(ugen,  wa^  id)  bir  nid)t  af(e§  fagen  fann.  —  $a ! 
iDer  ein  beffere^  93Mbc^en  unb  einen  reb(id)crn  gi'^unb  ^at 
a(^  id),  ben  mil  id)  fei)en  —  gran^i^fa,  nid)t  iua()i*  ?  ©e^t  ab. 


194  yjiinna  bon  58arnl)elm. 

fijuitf^c^ittcr  5(uftritt. 

SScrncr.     tJfflnsiSfi. 

^ranjigftt  m  ficf).     -3a  gciviB,  e^  ift  em  gar  ju  QUtcr 
^hnn  I  —  (2o  eiuer  fommt  inir  nid)t  micbcr  Doi\  —  (5^ 

5    muj  t)erau^5  !     ©d)ud)tern  unb  »erfd)dmt  fid)  aBcrnern  nd^ernb.     §err 

^adjtmciftcr  — 

SScrncr,  ber  ftc^  bie  Slugen  tinfd)t.     D^tU  ?  — 

^ronjigftt.    §err  3i)ad)tniciftcr  — 

SBcrner.    SBa^  iDiU  @ie  benn,  graucn^tmmerdjcn  ? 
10     granjisfa.     @e{/  ^r    mid)    cinmal    an,  gcrr    2Badjt= 
meiftcr.  — 

SBcrncr.    -3d)  fann  nod)  nid)t ;  id)  n)ct§  nid)t,  inaS  mir 
in  bie  '^(ut3en  gefommcn. 

i^ranjigfo.    (go  fcl)'  (It  mi^  bod)  an ! 
15      SBerncr.    .^d)  fiirdjtc,  id)  l)ah^  ®ie  fd)on  ^n  t)iel  ange- 
fel)cn,  gTanen3immerd)en !  —  9tun,  ba  fel)'  id)  @ie  ja !  3Ba§ 
gicbfS  benn  ? 

^ron^t§f(i.     §eiT  SKad)tmeifter, braud)t  (Et  feine 

Jrau  Sad)tmciftcrin  ? 
20     sserner.    -3ft  ba^  30^*  (Irnft,  grauen3immerd)en? 

ilranai^fo.    9Jcein  nMtigcr ! 

SBerner.    ^o(\t  @ie  moI)(  and)  mit  nad)  ^erfien? 

i^ranjigfa.    2BoI)in  (5r  mitt ! 

SScrner.    (53cmi6  ?  —  §o((a !    §err  SO^ajor !  nid)t  gro^^ 

25  getl)an !    i)htn  ()abe  id)  n^enigftenS  ein  eben  fo  gnte§  Wah-- 

d)en  nnb  etncn  eben  fo  reblidjen  grennb  al$  @ic !  —  @eb' 

@ie  mir  -3I)re  §anb,  granen3immerd)cn !   'Xopp  !  —  Ubcr 

3cl)n  3i^t)v  ift  ©ie  grau  ©eneraiin  ober  Sitme ! 


CRITICAL   AKD   EXPLANATOEY  NOTES. 


[For  books  referred  to  in  these  notes  see  Bibliography  II.,  at  the  end.^ 


The  opening  scenes  acquaint  us  with  the  sad  circumstances  of  Major 
Tellheira.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  many  free  battalions  which  had 
done  such  excellent  service  for  Frederick  II.  in  the  seven  years'  war. 
Since  the  king,  however,  found  himself  unable  to  maintain  them  after 
the  conclusion  of  peace,  he  had  disbanded  them  as  the  best  means  of 
retrenchment.  Tellheim  had  not  only  been  dismissed  the  service,  but 
his  just  demands  to  indemnification  for  the  money  advanced  to  the 
Saxon  Estates,  which  were  unable  to  raise  the  Avar  contribution  levied 
on  them  by  Frederick  the  Great,  had  been  refused  on  the  plea,  that, 
althougli  his  vouchers  were  perfectly  correct,  yet  they  had  been  fraudu- 
lently obtained.  Consequently  the  money  will  remain  in  the  coffers 
of  Prussia  when  repaid  by  Saxony ;  he  therefore  sees  himself  ruined 
by  his  generous  act  in  advancing  the  levied  contribution.  He  has 
sunk  so  low  that  he  cannot  pay  his  landlord  ;  in  his  absence  the  latter 
gives  his  pleasant  apartments  to  a  stranger,  while  he  is  unceremoni- 
ously assigned  a  back  room.  Grieved  at  this,  he  seeks  other  rooms, 
pawning  his  engagement  ring  to  cancel  his  debts.  No  injustice  or 
inconvenience  can  make  him  lose  faith  in  his  own  good  cause  or  in 
the  king's  justice,  when  the  latter  shall  once  be  convinced  of  his  up- 
rightness. He  is  sure  the  king,  after  hearing  all  the  circumstances, 
will  recognize  the  honesty  of  his  motives,  and  the  integrity  of  his 
character.  He  therefore  stubbornly  waits  for  a  full  and  complete 
vindication  and  a  restoration  to  favor.  Thus  ends  the  first  half  of  the 
development  of  the  plot. 

The  play  opens  with  Major  Tellheim's  servant  Just,  who  has  passed 
the  night  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel  waiting  for  his  master.  His  irritation 
against  the  landlord  for  having  removed  the  major's  effects  to  another 
room  during  a  temporary  absence  is  comically  shown  even  in  this  short 


196  CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

scene.  The  place  is  Berlin  at  "  The  King  of  Spain,"  though  this  city- 
is  not  expressly  mentioned.  Various  hints  in  the  play,  however,  point 
conclusively  to  the  Prussian  capital  (cf.  Diintzer,  p.  31). 


ACT  FIRST. 
Scene  First. 


The  opening  of  the  play  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  beginning  of 
Riccoboui's  Soup9ouneux,  where  Harlequin,  who  lies  on  the  table, 
dreams  of  Violette  and  falls  off  when  he  moves. 

Page  75,  line  4.  2)u,  un§  ?  supply,  S)a§  l^aft  bu  un§  ^u  t!)un 
geiuaflt  ?  or  merely,  jo  hel^artbcln  ?  ^I'Jf'i)?  ^-Bruber !  —  <£d)Iafle  3u, 
U3ruber  !  Just  is  dreaming,  and  imagines  he  has  a  comrade  (a  common 
meaning  of  ^ruber  in  familiar  language)  assisting  him  in  his  attack 
on  the  landlord,  i^rifrf)  here  means  "  upon  him,"  "  courageously  on," 
and  jd)Inge  p,  "hit  him." 

Line  5.  (5r  ^olt  an§.  ^u§t)oIen  =  aii§redEcn  gum  ©trcid^  ober  gum 
(Sd)lag  (Grimm,  Diet.).    SQct)a  !  fd)on  tuiebcr  ?   "  Hollo !  at  it  again  1  " 

Lines  6,  7.  I^t^  inot^e  .  .  .  lucrum.  The  grammatical  sequence  of 
the  two  parts  of  this  sentence  is  violated,  but  such  anacoluthons  are 
more  frequent  in  German  than  in  English.  The  first  part  should  be 
introduced  by  fobalb  (changing  ,,fcin"  to  ,,ein"),  or  else  the  second 
part  by  ol^rtc  ba^.  This  want  of  grammatical  sequence  arose  from 
the  loss  of  a  negative.     Cf.  Brandt  §  336,  1,  4th  ed. 

Line  7.     '>}lux  erft,  "  only  once." 

Line  8.  Dhtr  balb.  ^43alb  here  signifies  fofort,  fd^teunigft.  It  is 
the  older  meaning  of  the  Avord  as  in  the  Bible :  ,,'i^a^  bu  tl}uft,  ba§ 
l^ue  balb".  ^Jlur  only  adds  force  to  balb,  "I  reaili/  must  immediately 
look  up,"  etc. 

Line  10.  ^^ermalebeite,  for  tierffud^tc,  as  in  III.,  i.  (p.  119),  ber- 
bantmt.     The  Latin  derivation  is  quite  obvious. 

Line  11.  Observe  tliis  use  of  tlie  future  to  express  a  modal  re- 
lation. Both  the  future  present  and  perfect  often  denote  a  logical 
possibility,  and  in  the  interrogative  form  they  express  wonder :  "  I 
wonder  where  he  can  have  passed  the  night  1  "  Whitney  (cf.  Gr.  328. 
2)  calls  it  the  conjectural  future. 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY  NOTES.  197 


Scene  Second. 

Line  17.  (?r.  In  the  seventeentli  century  the  pronoun  of  the  third 
person  singular  (Gr  and  ©ie)  was  commonly  employed  in  the  case  of 
address.  Persons  of  rank  were  addressed  with  the  third  person  plural 
(<Sie).  In  the  beginniug  of  the  eighteenth  century,  however,  the  third 
plural  was  generally  used  in  address.  S)u  and  \i)x  always  were,  and 
still  are,  employed  amoug  intimates.  Towards  the  end  of  the  preced- 
ing century  (and  in  Lessing's  own  time)  the  Gr  and  ©te  of  the  singular 
were  considered  more  polite  than  bll  and  il)r  (when  the  persons  were 
not  intimate).  Sie  (plural)  was  employed  in  addressing  persons  of 
rank.  Hence,  Just  and  the  landlord,  Franziska  and  the  landlord, 
Franziska  and  Just,  Franziska  and  Werner  (in  polite  address)  employ 
Qx  and  Sie  (singular),  while  Just  and  Werner  (friendly  familiarity), 
Tellheim  to  Just  and  Werner,  and  Minna  to  Franziska  (friendly 
superiority)  employ  3)u.  The  others  use  the  more  respectful  (Sic 
(plural).     Cf.  Brandt,  §  230,  3 ;  Becker,  Handb.  d.  d.  Spr.,  pp.  277-8. 

The  characters  of  these  two  persons  are  well  portrayed  in  this 
scene. 

Line  19.  §crr  ^uft.  Here,  as  in  line  13  above,  the  landlord  uses 
the  polite  §err  (Mr.)  to  appease  the  just  anger  of  ^u[t,  who  returns 
his  polite  greeting  with  the  blunt  ,,(Sr". 

Page  76,  line  2.  2Ga»  Qilt'»  1  Literally  "  how  much  will  you  bet  ?  " 
Transl.  "  I  '11  warrant." 

Line  4.  Sauern.  Buchheim  says  louern  "was  formerly  used  in 
the  sense  of  to  wait  for  any  one  with  a  feeling  of  longing  or  impa- 
tience," and  this  use  is  still  found  in  certain  districts  of  Germany. 

Line  5.  SSn§  .  .  .  fanrt  !  Fr.  Que  cet  homme  est  habile  a  deviner ! 
^HeS  is  the  adverbial  genitive  singular  of  the  neuter,  and  is  equivalent 
to  the  Latin  omnino.     Here  =  gan,^  unb  gar,  "  wholly,  entirely." 

Line  8.     m^i  bod),  "Pray,  don't  go." 

Lines  11,  12.  2Bcr  tuirb  fcincn  3orn  liber  ^J?ad)t  be:^alten  ?  Cf.  Eph. 
iv.  26  (leaflet  bie  <Sonne  nic^t  Uber  (5urcm  3orn  untergefjen  :  Luther's 
Transl.). 

Lines  15-17.     In  his  anger  Just  exaggerates. 

Line  18.    SBer  fonnte  jo  gottloa  jein  ?    Potential  subjunctive  used 


198  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

in  interrogative  exclamations  to  express  surprise  or  astonishment  at 
some  fact  or  assertion. 

Line  21.  S^en  Ijcitte  irf),  etc.  ?  The  subjunctive  of  indirect  state- 
ment.    Cf.  Whitney,  333.  7  ;  Joynes-Meissner,  §  467,  c. 

Line  28.  loay  (Elites.  @ute§  is  partitive  genitive  dependent  on 
U)a3  =  etlua§.  This  form  is  now  felt  as  accusative  (or  nominative) 
agreeing  with  \va§,  and  is  usually  so  parsed. 

Line  29.  ^err  iBirt.  The  prospect  of  a  glass  of  liquor  makes  the 
blunt  Just  more  polite  than  formerly. 

Line  30,  31.  Just  breaks  off  his  oath,  knowing  his  fondness  for 
liquors,  and  remembering  that  he  has  not  yet  had  a  drop,  ^dj  bin 
nocf)  niic^tern,  "  I  am  still  sober,"  or  here  "  dry."  In  Just's  mind 
thirst  is  provocative  of  piety  I     He  only  swears  when  he  is  drunk. 

Pag-e  77,  line  5.  53nlb  biirfte  itf)  T!td)t.  ^-Balb  =  beina!)e.  Transl. 
"  Really,  I  have  a  great  mind  not  to."  The  imperfect  subjunctive 
biirfte  is  used  in  a  mild  assertion  and  then  denotes  a  probable 
contingency. 

Line  5,  6.  S)o(i)  tDarum  .  .  .  entgelten  loffen  ?  ©ntgcltert  =  bafiir 
letbcn.  5Jieincr  (Scjunbljcit  is  dative  instead  of  accusative.  Tavo  accu- 
satives in  such  constructions  naturally  lead  to  ambiguity ;  to  avoid  this 
confusion  the  dative  of  the  personal  subject-accusative  was  employed 
instead  of  the  regular  accusative  (cf.  Fr.  constr.  withya^Ve).  For  other 
examples  see  Sanders,  p.  195. 

Line  8.  Wo\}\  bcfomm'§.  Lit.  "  Much  good  may  it  do  you;"  here, 
however,  used  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 

Line  12.  ^uf  einem  ^43eine  tft  nt(^t  gut  fte^en,  11.  21,  22;  afler  guten 
^inge  finb  brei,  p.  78,11.  1,  2;  eine  bterfadie  ©djnur  l)alt  befto  bcffcr 
(cf.  Eccles.  iv.  12),  are  all  popular  proverbs,  quoted  with  coarse  humor 
to  induce  Just  to  drink  another  glass. 

Line  15.    ^-8el)iite  !     Supply  (§ott,  "  God  forbid !  "    ^Beritablcr  SDan^ 
^iger  !   center  boppelter  Sad)§  !     Danzig  brandy  made  at  the  sign  of 
the  "Salmon"  (^um  Sad)§  :   cf.  Jilnicke).      ,,S)D|3|)eIt  iiber  (^eiyiir,^ 
Qbgc,H''gcner  lUqucur,"  usually  called  ©Qit^igcr  2od)§,  also  San^igcr 
(^olbmnficr. 

Line  19.    rau§,  for  I)crau§. 

Line  23.  yjtcinctuicgen,  "Don't  care  if  I  do."  @ut  ®tng,  for  c''t 
gute§  2)tltg.  Taken  from  the  landlord's  proverb.  Transl.  "That's 
A,  No.  1."    For  uninflected  gut  cf  Brandt,  §  212. 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  199 

Lines  23,  27.  fo  tnit  anprcn  ?  "  Thus  (quietly)  listen  to  this 
also."  The  German  mit  (adv.)  often  has  a  force  which  is  entirely  lost 
in  the  translation. 

Line  28.     (Salle  is  here  "  pluck,"  "spirit,"  ''courage." 

Page  78,  line  3.  UBa§  !^ilft§  St)n  ?  In  early  times  there  was  a 
difference  in  the  meaning  of  I^clfcn,  followed  by  the  dative  or  the  accu- 
sative. With  the  dative  it  signified  to  give  actual  aid,  with  the  accu- 
sative to  be  of  use  {proJesse).  liBaS  I)tl[ty  mid),  or  toa§  ^ilft  mid)»  ? 
{Quid  mild  prodest?)  This  latter  use  with  the  accusative  is  retained 
in  modern  times  by  Chamisso,  Goethe,  Schiller,  Haller,  Kliuger,  Les- 
sing,  Luther,  Opitz  (cf.  Sanders  and  Andresen).  Here  it  has  the 
latter  signification,  "  What  good  will  it  do  you '?  " 

Line  5.  rolirbc  ic^  bci  mcincr  IRcbc  bicibcn,  "I  should  adhere  to  my 
remark;  "  that  is,  "I  should  insist  on  calling  you  (Srobian,"  "should 
abide  by  my  words ;  "  cf.  e§  bleibt  beim  alien,  beim  friil^eren,  bctm 
er[ten  (?iitj(^(u^,  the  old,  earlier,  first  resolution  remains  in  force,  they 
stand  firm  to  their  first  resolution. 

Lines  6,  7.  ^JiorcS,  colloquial  for  Sitte,  and  still  very  common  in 
students'  slang,  ^cinanb  SJiore^  Icl)ret!,  =  to  teach  one  manners ; 
5JJore§  mac^en — submit. 

(^inern  ^Jianne  belongs  to  ba§  Stinmcr  au§raumen,  and  is  the  dative 
of  possessor  after  3innncr,  showing  whose  room  it  was. 

Line  7.     ^aljr  unb  Xag,  standing  formula  for  a  long  time. 

Line  10.     tneit  .  .  .  I)er,  "  in  the  last  few  months." 

Lines  10,  11.  iricil  .  .  .  Id^t,  "  because  he  no  longer  spends  so 
much." 

Line  14.  borau§fal)e.  This  form  of  the  imperfect  (fa^e  for  \a\f) 
is  the  usual  one  in  Lessing.  Cf.  Lehmann,  p.  213,  who  says:  "Even 
the  addition  of  e  in  the  imperfect,  wliich  was  not  completely  banished 
till  our  century,  occurs  without  exception  with  fal)e,  and  is  also  some- 
times found  in  poetry  with  other  imperfects."     Cf.  Brandt,  §  449,  1  a. 

Lines  27,  28.  ber  berjlDeifctte  yfJnd)bar,  "abominable  neighbor." 
fjalant  for  elegant,  now  obsolete  in  this  sense,  and  should  be  used  only 
of  jiersons.     Cf.  Boxberger's  foot-note  to  our  text. 

Page  79,  line  6.     r:d)t  Tjiibfd^  la^t,  "  looks  quite  well ;  "  colloquial 
use  of  lajfen  with  the  adverb  meaning  "to  befit,"  "to  suit,"  "to  look." 
Line  7.    bcricrcn  =  fop^^cn,  jam  ^e[tcn  Ijabcn,  cuf3tcl;cn,  ncden. 


200  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Line  9.  §err  ^uften  (c£.  p.  93, 1.  lO;  p.  128, 11.  26,  27,  (Sx^al^V  ©ie 
e§  bo(^  ^^err  UBeriieru).  Diintzer,  Niemeyer,  and  Althaus  think  that 
Just  is  only  mockingly  repeating  the  landlord's  too  polite  ,,§err  ^uft," 
and  uses  it  as  a  compound  expression ;  hence  §crr  iijuften  instead  of 
the  correct  form  i^crrn  !v3U[t.  The  other  examples,  however,  would 
rather  indicate  ignorance  in  the  speaker.  Here  it  is  dative  of  possessor 
qualifying  ben  ilopf.  (5incm  ben  kop]  luann  mac^en,  "  to  put  any  one 
in  a  passion." 

Line  10.  Wad^V,  Subjunctive  of  indirect  statement,  as  p.  76, 1.  21, 
\ji\tk. 

Line  16.  bQ§  biBd)en  (^riebe.  The  peace  of  Hubertusburg  was  con- 
cluded about  six  months  earlier. 

Line  17.     5il^aa  for  li)Qru:n,  like  the  Lat.  quid,  meaning  "  why." 


Scene  Third. 


Pag-e  80,  line  2.  ^d)  bad)ic.  Potential  subjunctive.  Cf.  Brandt, 
Gr.  §  284,  3  (4th  ed.);  Joynes-Meissner,  §  46^ 

Line  7.  !^()rD  (^nabcrt,  "your  excellency;"  generally  used  of 
princes.  This  shows  the  landlord's  excessive  politeness  and  servility 
(cf.  also  1.  18).  Sljto,  an  obsolete  form,  now  ^Ijrc.  S)a  jci  (^ott  l3or. 
*'  God  forbid." 

Line  9.  (Snabe  stands  here  for  (5!)rc,  as  in  ,,T^ann  fann  id)  bie 
(§nabe  ((5I)re)  I)nbcn,  S^nen  aufjuiDarten  ?"  Though  an  unusual  ex- 
pression, it  is  still  not  infrequently  employed. 

Line  11.  ^aljcnlnicfcl,  lit.  the  humped  back  of  a  coaxing  cat. 
Jacob  Grimm  says  in  his  Diet. :  ,,S)ie  ^alje  burfelt  luenn  fie  ©trten 
f(^mci(|clnb  itmncl)t,  bn§  ift  nuf  5Jicnfd)cn  iibcrtrnocn,  liefonber§  Don 
!ncd)cnb  bcmiitljigcn  51>crbeugungcn,  Don  fdjmcidjelnbcm  (Scliaftrcn,  "etc. 

Line  16.  ®a^  id)  .  .  .  foil  !  "  I  am  furious  that  I  am  not  to  kick 
out  his  teeth  !  " 

Lines  19,  20.  Note  the  landlord's  embarrassment  in  the  repetition 
—  bie  5^ot  —  notmenbig  ;  also  the  antithesis  (Snabcn  and  Ungnabc. 
Such  touches  are  characteristic  of  the  master  hand. 

Lines  23,  25.  5Ii3o  anbcrS  =  irgcnbioo  anbcrS,  or  more  commonly 
cnbcrSnjo. 

Line  23.  '^d)  gcfd^Iagencr  SJJonn,  "ruined  man;"  lit.  struck  by 
misfortune. 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  201 

Line  31.  '3)umme  ©treid^e,  lit.  "foolish  pranks,"  but  here  "stupid 
bluuders." 

Page  81,  line  5.  fiinfl)uitbert  X^nlcr  ^out§b'or,  "  500  thalers  in 
Louisdors."     The  i^ouiab'or  was  valued  at  about  four  dollars. 

Line  6.    [tcljcn  Qcf^abt,  "  had  Ijiug." 

Lines  13,  14.  ber  fid)  niemat§  auSgiebt,  "who  never  quite  spends 
all  he  has." 

Lines  14,  15.  bar  (Selb,  for  the  more  strictly  grammatical  form 
bnreS  (^elb.  But  in  certain  phrases  like  ,,bar  ©elb,"  cash;  ,,an\  gut 
05Uicf,"  the  adjective  frequently  stands  uninflected  (cf.  Brandt's  Ger. 
Gram.,  §  212,  4th  ed. ;  Joyues-Meissner,  §  145). 

Line  23.  ^d)  gcl)e  fa  f(^on,  "I  assure  you  I  am  already  going." 
^a  here  signifies  "certainly,"  and  is  very  emphatic,  serving  both  to 
entreat  the  major  not  to  leave  his  house,  and  also  to  assure  him 
that  he  (the  landlord)  is  really  going. 


Scene  Fourth. 

Page  81,  line  29.  Dor  So»f)eit,  taken  in  its  literal  meaning  of 
"  malice,"  often  indicates  a  disposition  to  injure  others  from  a  spirit 
of  revenge.  Then  it  means  2But,  as  in  Job  xviii.  4,  ^Biltu  fur  ^J3o§f)cit 
bcrften.     Here  it  means  passionate  rage  and  desire  for  revenge. 

Page  82,  line  1.  2^a§  Mxc  fo  bid  al§  on  JiBoflbditigfcit.  The 
major  probably  alludes  here  to  the  fact  that  anger  and  vengeance  are 
comparable  to  maladies  in  the  effect  they  produce.  It  is  as  dangerous 
to  nourish  U3o5fjeit  (rage)  as  Soflbliitigfcit  (plethora). 

Line  2.    llnti  Sie  .  .  .  ,  supply,  bleibcn  gelaffeu,  "are  quite  cool." 

Line  3.  ^rf)  fterbe  tier  Sb^^n  ^lugcn,  U)enn,  etc.  Here  expressing 
rather  Just's  determination  to  die ;  ^sd)  tiiitt  Quf  bcr  Stcde  tot  fein,  id) 
tuifl  ftcrbcn,  \)C^  Xobe»  fcin,  and  not  a  mere  Potential  mood,  "may  I 
die." 

Lines  5,  6.  I)atte  id)  il)n  .  .  .  ttioHcn  ;  supply,  menu  Sie  nid)t  bo= 
35nifd)cn  gctrctcn  lucircn. 

Line  9.  fo  ein  yjtenfd^  !  Althaus,  p.  6,  refers  this  to  Tellheim 
as  Just's  defiance  to  his  master  for  the  cool  way  in  which  he  takes 
the  landlord's  insult.     It  is,  however,  better  to  refer  it  to  the  landlord. 


202  CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Line  14.  ^a^  <Sie  fid)  rcid^tcn.  If  this  depends  on  ^d)  hiiH  in  L  II, 
then  we  ouglit  to  have  either  Sofj  <5ie  fief)  rdc^en  foUen,  or  3^q^  ©ie 
ftd^  rcidjen.  Althaus  (ibid.)  says  a  new  construction  begins  here,  and 
supplies  Safe  ©ie  fid)  rnd)len  (or  rddjen  foltten),  fonn  id)  frcilid)  nic^t 
berlannen ;  benn  ber  ilerl  ift  St)neu  311  gering  ;  "  too  insignificant 
for  you." 

Line  16.  ©onbern,  bnfe  id)  e§  bir  Quftriige,  supply,  bu  fonnft  ber= 
langen,  nidjt  sioar,  bofe  id)  mid)  rdd)te,  fonbern,  bnfs  id),  etc. 

Line  22.  ©0  ?  eine  t)ortreffIi(^e  ^ad)C.  The  authorities  differ 
about  the  meaning  of  Just's  remark.  Diintzer  and  Niemeyer  think 
that  Just  is  really  serious  and  deems  it  an  excellent  revenge,  while 
Althaus,  Buchheim,  and  Whitney  consider  it  ironical.  It  is,  however, 
quite  contrary  to  Just's  nature  to  have  such  noble  feelings,  or  to  re- 
gard such  an  act  any  revenge  at  all ;  hence  his  ironical  remark. 

Lines  29,  30.  H)eld)e§  mir  aufsufjeben  gegeben  luorben,  "which  was 
given  me  to  keep  (for  safe-keeping)."     The  auxiliary  is  omitted. 

Page  83,  line  1.    21>ernern,  cf.  ^uften,  p.  79, 1.  9. 

Line  8.  auf3ief)t  =  l)inl)alt,  in  bie  Sange  gicf)!.  Cf.  Luther,  Acts 
xxiv.  22.  ^enernlfriegSfaffe,  lit.  "military  chest;"  here  our  word 
paymaster-general  expresses  the  idea  best. 

Lines  14,  15.  5Jtad)e  mir  ,^ugleic^  nud)  bcinc  9icd)nung.  Three 
different  reasons  have  been  assigned  for  Just's  dismissal.  First,  Tell- 
heim's  straitened  circumstances  (Niemeyer).  But  he  knew  tliem  long 
before,  and  should  then  have  dismissed  him  earlier.  Secondly,  the 
discovery  here  that  Just  liad  betrayed  his  master's  need  to  Paul  Wer- 
ner ;  probably  the  true  reason,  though  numbers  one  and  three  may 
have  had  great  influence  upon  Tellheim's  action.  Thirdly,  the  reason 
given  in  scene  8th ;  namely.  Just's  stubbornness  and  bad  nature,  ^u- 
gleid),  "at  the  same  time  with  the  landlord's"  (Whitney). 

Line  17.  c§  tommt  jemnnb.  fommt  for  fommt  is  a  favorite  form 
with  Lessing,  and  is  frequently  heard  even  now,  especially  in  Saxony, 
hence  Lessing's  use  of  it. 

ScEisrE  Fifth. 
Page  83,  line  24.    ©tabsrittmeifter,  "  second  captain  of  the  staff." 

Page  84,  line  1.     friil),  here  "  early  in  the  morning."    The  reason 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  203 

is  given  in  the  following  scene.    befd)lt)erli(^  fallen,  "  to  be  trouble- 
some." 

Line  3.  bor§  er[te,  for  fiira  erftc.  Leasing  vacillates  between  the 
two  forms,  though  the  former  is  more  frequent.  Cf.  (S^ritt  Dor 
©d^ritt,  ©tuc!  t)or  ©tucf,  Zl)cii  Dor  %t)cil,  etc. 


Scene  Sixth. 


According  to  some  critics,  especially  the  French,  the  interview  with 
the  unfortunate  widow  of  his  cavalry  captain  retards  the  action,  aud 
should,  therefore,  have  been  left  out.  It  is  true  that  it  does  not  ad- 
vance the  action,  but  as  the  exposition  must  bring  out  the  true  char- 
acter of  the  principal  personages  as  well  as  acquaint  us  with  their  real 
situation,  this  scene  is  regarded  as  indispensable  by  the  best  critics. 
Tellheim  is  the  soul  of  generosity,  and  all  that  we  have  so  far  seen 
does  not  show  this  in  its  true  light.  These  three  scenes  (V.,  VI.,  VII.), 
afford  us  an  opportunity  to  study  this  side  of  his  character,  aud  spare 
the  poet  a  monologue,  which  would  have  been  more  extraneous  to  the 
progress  of  the  action  than  this  interview.  Skilful  use  is  made  of  this 
episode  later  on,  but  for  all  that  it  remains  an  episode.  Tellheim 
appears  as  the  sympathetic  friend  of  the  unfortunate,  and  shows  his 
readiness  to  give  them  substantial  aid  in  their  misfortunes. 

Line  8.  (ynabige  i^^rau.  (Snabig  is  used  as  a  title  in  addressing 
persons  of  rank.  (§nabi(jer  .^err,  in  addressing  a  knight  or  baronet  = 
Sir ;  in  addressing  a  nobleman  =  my  Lord.  (Sndbigc  ^rou,  in  address- 
ing the  lady  of  a  knight  or  baronet  =  Madam  ;  in  addressing  the  lady 
of  a  nobleman  =  my  Lady.  Later,  especially  in  novels  and  on  the 
stage,  it  was  applied  to  persons  not  belonging  to  the  nobility,  and  is 
then  to  be  rendered  by  "  Sir,"  or  "  Madam." 

Line  10.    ilHnin  =  irgenbtoortn. 

Line  19,  20.  bic  ftcirfcre  5iatur,  bie  ^aiur,  bie  ftarfcr  ift  qI§  bQ§ 
(Sefut)!  ber  j^rcunbfd)nft.  Marloff  was  attached  to  Tellheim  by  bie 
93anbe  ber  tyrcunbfdjaft,  but  to  his  wife  and  child  by  bie  ^-bonbe  ber 

Line  22.    Notice  the  emphatic  position  of  lucirtcn. 

Page  85,  line  II.    (Seine  ©quipage  (pr.  a-ke-pa-zhe).    Here  equiv- 


204  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

alent  to  bic  ^UiSrilftung  eine§  CfficicrS  im  ^^dtc  ;  "  his  equip- 
ments." 

Lines  11, 12.  (Seine  ^anbjd)rift  ein,]uloien,  "to  redeem  his  promissory 
note."  ipanbjdjrift  generally  means  manuscript,  writing,  then  a  writ- 
ten obligation.     It  is  here  used  for  i£d)ulbici;)ein,  ®d)ulbycrid;reibung. 

Line  20.     tl;ut  nid)t5  ^ur  6adjC,  "  doesn't  matter." 

Line  28.  tou^te.  Potential  subj.  to  express  a  mild  assertion  of  an 
undoubted  fact  (cf.  Brandt,  Ger.  Gr.,  §  284,  3,  4th  ed.;  Joynes-Meiss- 
ner,  §  469).  See  also  p.  80,  2. 

Line  30.  ^Jii(^t  anbcrg,  supply,  c§  ift  nid)t  onberS,  "it  is  not  other- 
wise, I  assure  you,  Madam." 

Line  32.  tnid)  mit  einem  5!)ianne  abgufinben,  lit.  "to  settle  with  a 
man  ;  "  here  to  recompense  one  for  favors. 

Page  86,  line  12.  in  bem  cigentlidiften  SSerftanbc  =  in  bem  eigenis 
Iid)en  ©inne  be§  ^il^orte§. 

Lines  21,  22.  Tellheim  fears  that  the  news  would  come  when  he 
might  not  be  able  to  send  the  money  for  the  further  education  of 
her  son. 

Line  23.  5?alb  Ijcittc  id),  etc.  33alb  =  beinal[)e  ;  Ijcitte  is  subj.  of  mild 
assertion  as  above. 

Lines  23,  24.  ^Jfarloff  I)at  .  ,  .  nod^  gu  forbern,  "has  claims,"  etc. 
This  may  be  true,  or  intended  to  prepare  the  way  for  further  aid. 

Line  28.  %bcx  id)  fd)n)eigc  Ueber,  "I  will  rather  be  silent  (without 
troubling  you  with  my  thanks)." 

Line  29.    l)eifet,  "  is." 

Scene  Seventh. 

Page  87,  line  4.  ^cttel,  "  trash."  The  expression  indicates  Les- 
sing's  own  contempt  for  money.  Tellheim  destroys  the  note  to  pre- 
vent its  falling  into  another's  hands,  not  in  a  pessimistic  mood,  nor  for 
fear  he  might  possibly  make  use  of  it  at  some  later  time,  as  some 
critics  pretend. 

Scene  Eighth. 

Page  87,  line  11.  Imitated  from  Goldoni's  Locandiera,  where 
Mirandola  brings  in  her  account  weeping,  and  gives  the  same  excuse. 
The  Cavaliere  also  considers  the  account  too  small. 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY    NOTES.  205 

Line  25.  Siejea  (5Dlonat§),  elliptical  and  ordinary  use  of  this  pro- 
noun in  dates,     (^r.  =  ©rojdjcn  ;  ^f.  =  pfennig. 

Page  88,  line  5.  i3^clbid)cr  or  [yclbid)crcr  =  ^Jtilitararjt.  The  word 
really  means  a  field  barher,  but  barber  and  surgeon  used  to  be  one. 
Just's  account  shows  the  major's  fatherly  care  for  those  in  his  em- 
ploy, and  adds  another  proof  of  his  noble  generosity. 

Line  9.    y3eutcpfcrbe  =  (Srbcutete  ^-jl^fcrbc. 

Lines  10,  11.     58orftef)cnbc,  "  the  above." 

Line  16.  Sidcrci,  older  form  in  imitation  of  the  English  livery ;  the 
modern  2it>ree  is  from  the  French. 

Line  18.  frcpiercn  (Lat.  crepare,  to  make  a  loud  noise)  ;  the  word 
was  introduced  into  the  German  in  the  seventeenth  century  from  the 
Italian  crepare,  to  burst.  Cf.  crepare  dalle  risa,  to  die  with  laughing. 
In  the  Romance  languages  it  had  lost  its  meaning,  to  resound.  Vulgar 
expression  for  "to  die;"  generally  used  of  animals,  and  still  very 
common  in  Germany. 

Line  21.    liefjcr  I;abcn,  "  be  better  off." 

Lines  26-28.  fo  ...  jo  ...  jo  ...  .  The  first  two  are  antece- 
dents, the  third  consequent.  The  conjunction  fo  may  stand  botli  in 
an  antecedent  and  in  a  relative  clause ;  the  first  is  then  equivalent  to 
iDenn,  the  second  often  untranslatable.  Transl.  here  "  if,"  or,  "  as 
surely  as  I  ...  as  surely  as  you  ...  so  surely,"  etc. 

Line  32.  Sl'tejen,  here  "behavior,  conduct."  Tellheim  is  severe 
with  Just,  and  part  of  it  may  be  ascribed  to  his  own  perplexities. 
Still  it  is  truthful,  as  we  shall  see  later,  and  serves  to  show  Just's  one 
redeeming  quality,  fidelity,  at  its  best. 

Page  89,  line  1.  boB  fie  bir  ni(^t§  ,^u  fogcn  ^aben,  "that  they  have 
no  right  to  say  anything  to  you,"  "that  they  have  no  authority  over 
you."     Cf.  English,  "you  have  nothing  to  say  in  this  matter." 

Line  8.  ^ubel.  Lessing  wrote  ^-Bubel,  Rabener  also ;  but  ^ubel  is 
now  the  ordinary  form.  The  story  of  the  poodle  is  a  model  narrative 
of  its  kind,  such  as  it  should  be,  if  admitted  on  the  stage  at  all,  since 
the  essence  of  the  drama  is  action  and  all  narration  interrupts  action. 

Line  16.  bcm  er  Ijort,  "whom  he  obeys."  §oren  (Avith  dat.)  = 
ttuf  i^emartb  IjiJren,  einem  c\e!)Drd)cn  is  a  rare  but  historical  usage. 
Cf.  ge^orert,  first  "to  obey,"  now  "to  belong  to,"  and  Lat.  audlre, 
oboedire. 


203  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Lines  18,  19.  ©§  {ft  cin  I)afe(id)er  ^ubel,  aber  cin  o,ax  3U  guier 
^unb.  Just  does  not  like  the  species  poodle,  but  does  like  the  tried 
fidelity  of  this  particular  dog,  a  hint  which  Tellheim  puts  to  good  use. 

Lines  21,  22.  -Skin,  e^  giebt  feinc  t)bUigcn  Umnenfd)en  !  "no,  there 
are  no  complete  monsters."  The  major  is  convinced  that  there  is  some 
good  in  every  one,  though  he  has  just  described  Just  as  a  monster. 
He  is  now  reconciled  with  him,  if  indeed  he  has  been  provoked  by  his 
brusk  manners,  and  was  not  rather  consulting  the  interest  of  his  ser- 
vant in  wishing  to  dismiss  him. 

Line  32.    ©d;on  gut!    "All  right!" 


Scene  Ninth. 


Page  90,  line  8.  ®a§  biirfte  icf)  Iet(i)t  Vonmn,  "  I  might  possibly  be 
able  to  do  it  easily,"  if  I  chose.  S)Urfte  is  potential  subj.  (Brandt, 
§  284,  3).  It  denotes  a  logical  possibility,  but  at  the  same  time  a 
probability ;  it  sometimes  denotes  what  is  possible,  implying  ignorance 
on  the  part  of  the  speaker. 

Lines  12,  13.  toeife  ju  Ieben  =  t)at  2eben§art,  "is  well-bred."  Com- 
pare the  French  savoir-vivre. 

Line  18.  bie  id)  crfennc  =  bie  id)  ban!bar  onerfenne.  (Sin)3fel)l  is 
now  obsolete;  it  stands  here  for  6mpfel)lung. 

Lines  20,  21.  (SrtcibigeS  fj^raulcitu  Cf.  above,  p.  84,  1.  8.  Here 
"  my  Lady." 

Scene  Tenth. 

Page  91,  line  7.  9JJad)e,  ba^  =  fiel)  1511,  ba^  ;  forge  bnfiir,  bo^ ; 
"see  to  it  that ;  "  a  popular  use  of  nmd)cn  (make  haste,  see  to  it  that, 
take  care  that). 

Line  12.  |^riebrid)§b'or,  a  Prussian  coin  of  Frederick  L,  equal  to 
about  $  4. 

Line  14.  9?tdume  tueine  (Sod)en,  "  remove  my  effects."  "^a,  h)oI)in  ? 
"  well  now,  where  1  " 

Lines  19,  20.  ^Jicine  ^iftolcn.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  Tell- 
heim had  decided  on  suicide  if  bad  should  come  to  worse.  But  his 
pistols  were  dear  to  the  soldier,  and,  if  he  is  the  excellent  shot  that  his 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY    NOTES.  207 

prototype  Marshal  von  Bieberstein  was  (cf.  Tntrod.),  he  would  prob- 
ably value  them  as  a  keepsake.  Compare  Althaus,  pp.  15,  16;  Xie- 
meyer,  pp.  59,  GO;  Diintzer,  p.  47. 

Line  23.     ^JJtir,  ethical  dat.,  "  I  pray." 


Scene  Eleventh. 

Page  92,  lines  5,  6.  Unb  trug  ifjn  in  bcr  Xa\i}C  artftotl  am  i^ingcr  ? 
His  betrothal  ring.  In  Germany  rings  are  exchanged.  He  probably 
carried  it  in  his  pocket  because  the  relation  was  to  be  kept  secret,  and 
not  on  account  of  his  wretched  condition. 

Line  6.  ^laljl,  in  popular  language  "  destitute  of  money."  (?r  i[t 
faljl,  "  he  has  no  money." 

Line  9.  —  %i)  —  Expression  of  joyous  astonishment,  here  tinged 
witli  a  malicious  joy  that  the  landlord  is  not  to  have  all  the  benefit  of 
tlie  money.  Tellheim's  epithet  of  ©djabcnfrcube  was  thus  not  alto- 
gether wrong. 

Scene  Twelfth. 

Page  92,  line  14.  '§,  for  c3,  old  genitive  form  after  gclrorjne.  In 
O.  and  M.  H.  Ger.  the  genitive  form  was  e§,  which  has  been  retained 
in  expressions  like  this,  though  now  felt  and  parsed  as  uom.  or  ace. 
Compare  Becker,  Haudb.  d.  d.  Si)r.  p.  273  ;  Lehmaun,  p.  247. 

Line  15.  gelDoI)ne  =  gctDoIjut,  an  o])solete  form  used  in  one  otlier 
passage  by  Lessing,  and  found  in  Goethe.  Both  getuol^n  and  getDo'^ne 
are  found  in  the  literary  language.  In  O.  H.  G.  yaicoii,  and  in  Mid.  H. 
G.  yeivon  are  common.     The  precise  origin  of  the  fiual  c  is  uncertain. 

Lines  17,  18.  bie  Xreppc  l)crnb,  for  bte  Xrc^i|3C  Ij'inab.  The  par- 
ticles (jci";  and  ijux:  are  used  indiscriminately  throughout  the  play. 

Page  93,  line  2.  ^ernfliuy  (Irakli),  king  of  Persian  Georgia,  and 
descendant  of  the  ancient  sovereigns  of  Georgia.  He  was  the  son  of 
Theimuras  II.,  born  in  1714,  and  died  in  1798,  reigning  fifty-two  years. 
The  Shah  of  Persia,  Nadir,  ceded  the  province  of  Karthli  to  Theimuras, 
and  that  of  Kahketi  to  Heraklius  for  services  rendered  him  in  his  bat- 
tles. Fatlier  and  son  soon  gained  their  independence.  The  father 
died  at  Petersburg  (1762),  and  the  son  reigned  alone.     Later,  when 


208  CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

hard  pressed,  he  became  tlie  ally  of  Russia,  aud  served  in  the  Turco- 
Eussiaa  war  of  17G0  aud  1770.  He  was  warlike  aud  brave,  but  uever 
conquered  Persia,  as  Weruer  preteuds,  though  he  wou  reuown  by  his 
exploits. 

Line  7.  Xk  ^IBeijcn  quS  bcm  ^JtorrjenlanDc.  Just  becomes  comical 
by  coufouudiug  the  Biblical  persons  with  the  village  boys  who  repre- 
sented them,  thus  showing  that  he  evidently  knows  nothing  of  the 
origin  of  this  custom.  The  boys  used  to  sing  by  threes  at  the  doors 
in  villages  on  Epiphany,  each  bearing  a  golden  paper  star  on  his 
forehead.  "This  custom  is  popularly  called  fternfingen "  (Buch- 
heim,  p.  148).  Just  knows  as  little  of  his  Bible  as  of  the  current 
news. 

Line  10.  ben  ^rin,^  .^craHiuS.  Cf.  note  to  Scene  II.,  p.  79, 1.  9. 
These  uugrammatical  expressions  are  colloquial,  and  of  not  uncommon 
occurrence  in  familiar  language. 

Line  11.  ^erficn  luccjtjcnommcn,  "  carried  off  Persia."  Werner's 
whole  speech  produces  a  comically  absurd  effect.  It  is  the  boastful 
soldier,  the  soldier  by  profession  who  loves  war  for  itself. 

Line  12.  ^tiidjftcr  Xagc,  gen.  of  time,  "  shortly."  tic  ottoinnnifrf)e 
^forte  einfpreiic^cn,  "blow  in  the  Ottoman  gate."  Werner  takes  the 
word  ^-pforte  in  its  literal  sense,  for  he  certainly  cannot  know  anything 
of  the  origin  of  the  expression  (the  court  of  justice  was  held  before 
the  gate  of  the  Sultau's  palace).  Werner's  blunders  are  as  amusing 
to  the  well-informed  as  those  of  Just. 

Lines  14,  15.  G§  foUte  Ijier  toieber  Io§gcI)cn,  "it  (war)  would  break 
out  here  once  more." 

Line  15.  Ijeilen  fid)  bie  §aut,  "heal  their  skins,"  i.  e.,  enjoy  the 
peace. 

Line  18.     ©r.,  contraction  for  Seiner. 

Lines  19,  20.  ben  Xiirfcn,  the  Turk,  i.  e.,  the  Sultan.  Cf.  ben 
f^^rangofen  .below,  meaning  the  French  king ;  this  use  is  common  in 
German  where  we  use  the  phiral. 

Line  24.  ^erl§  (p.  94,  1.  2,  ©abelS,  later  ^or|)oraI§,  %cU^cim§, 
^Jicibc^enS).  This  colloquial  plural  in  imitation  of  the  Low  German, 
and  encouraged  by  the  English  and  French  is  frequent  enough  in 
Lessing.  Cf.  also  Goethe,  who  uses  ^JJidbclS,  ^ungenS,  t^rauIeinS, 
and  llcrl§. 

Page  94,  line  1.     bofiir,  "for  that,"  as  recompense  for  that. 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  209 

Line  1.  Dcrbicnftlidjcr,  a  play  on  the  word  ;  "profitable  "  (in  biefem 
Ccben)  and  "meritorious"  (in  jenem  Sebcn). 

Lina  2.      t)ir,  ethical  dat. 

Line  6.  'Sd)ul3engerid)te,  a  farm  to  which  the  office  or  power  of  a 
village  justice  is  attached  ,  primitively  a  bailiwick  or  .sheriffdom.  Cf. 
p.  127,  1.  29. 

Line  11.  auf  ben  ^an],  "  earnest-money,"  money  given  to  bind  the 
bargain. 

Lines  15, 16.  Sa^  .  .  .  jauer  mad)t,  "  he  is  so  hard  put  to  to  get  his 
own  (just  dues) ;"  i.  e.,  the  restitution  of  the  money  advanced  to  the 
Saxon  Estates,  mentioned  later. 

Line  19.  5i3Ut],  an  oath,  "  thunder."  Cf.  5)onnerh)eiter,  alle  2Bet= 
ter,  etc. 

Line  21.    cjcftefencn,  "  former,"  "  late." 

Line  22.  lialjenfjaufern,  colloquial  name  of  the  present  Katzen- 
berg;  a  few  houses  between  Meissen  and  Nosseu,  and  an  unimpor- 
tant military  post  in  the  Seven  Years'  War.  In  the  summer  of  1760, 
there  was  a  slight  "  affair  "  there  between  the  Prussians  and  the  Aus- 
trian General  Daun,  but  nothing  so  important  as  Werner  would  make 
us  believe.  The  oddness  of  the  name  and  the  boastfulness  of  the 
sergeant-major  produce  a  comical  effect. 

Line  23.  ©oE  id)  bit  bie  cr3af)Ien  ?  Just  has  heard  it  so  often  that 
he  knows  it  by  heart,  and  does  not  wish  to  hear  it  again. 

Page  95,  line  1.  S)u  mir?  Supply  er^o^Ien,  and  eee  note  to 
p.  7.5,  1.  4. 

Line  2.  Si§:pDfitiDn  =  SdjIac^tentlDurf,  ^ampfplan  ;  "arrange- 
ment of  troops."    meine  ^erlcn  .  .  .  tncrfen  ;  cf.  Matt.  vii.  6. 

Line  5.     bie,  emphatic  form  for  biefe. 

Line  6.  9ioden  (so  Lessing;  High  German),  for  Oiocjnett  (Low 
German),  "rye."  Schiller  also  wrote  Stoden  ;  cf  Jungfrau  von  Orle- 
ans, Prol.,  3.      2Bin§pet,  better  Ul^typet  =  24  bushels. 

Lines  8-11.     Note  the  boastfulness  of  Just's  reply  and  its  humor. 

Line  14.     tuo,  i.  e.,  anbcrstuo,  see  p.  84,  1.  10. 

Line  18.     ^um  .Gnufe  f)crau§lt)erten,  "to  throw  out  of  the  house." 

Line  22.  bem  SJtajor  tua§  in  'tim  ^\'g  selcgf?  £em  SJiitjor, 
dat.  after  the  expression  in  ben  !:Il>eg  Qclegt :  tDQ§  =  ettraS  ;  transl. 
"  bas  be  put  anything  in  the  major's  way  1  "  Here  probably,  "  has  he 
offended  the  major  ?  " 


210  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 

Line  23.     '^d)  bin  t)aM,  "  I  '11  join  in,  I  'm  in  for  it." 

Line  25.  S^abaijie  (i'r.,  and  pronounced  ta-ba-zhe,  zh  like  s  in 
pleasure).  A  low  ale-house  where  there  is  much  tobacco-smoking; 
lieu  public  ok  Von  vafamer  du  tabac. 

Lines  27,  28.  ^Ijrcr  3tt)ei  einem?  "two  to  one?"  The  more 
proper  expression  would  be  unfer  ^wd  etncin. 

Line  28.  3)a»  ift  nid)tS  expresses  Werner's  disgust  at  the  proposal 
that  two  should  fall  upon  one;  cf.,  however,  Scene  I.,  wliere  Just 
dreams  of  an  assistant  in  his  attack.  The  English  "  that  won't  do," 
exactly  reflects  Werner's  Xa§  ift  uid)t§. 

Page  96,  line  1.  ©cngcn  unb  brenrten?  Note  the  elliptical  use 
of  the  infinitive  in  an  exclamatoiy,  imperative,  and  interrogative  sense, 
man  ljort'§,  one  perceives  from  your  words  that,"  etc. 

Line  3.  5(bcr  \m§  I)a[t  bu  benn  1  SBaS  fliebt'S  benn  ?  "  But  what 
is  the  matter  with  you  ?  "     "  What 's  up  1 " 

Line  4.  S)u  foflft  bein  2Bunber  f^bxcn,  colloquial,  "you  shall  hear 
wonders." 

Line  5.  <Bo  ift  bcr  Xcufcl  I)icr  gar  Io§  ?  This  common  proverb 
refers  to  the  freeing  of  Satan  from  his  bonds  (cf.  Grimm,  Mythologie, 
p.  926).  The  French  say  :  le  diable  est  aux  vaches  (cf.  Littre,  p.  2407). 
It  denotes  the  return  of  chaos  and  the  destruction  of  the  world.  Here 
the  meaning  is  "  Has  hell  really  broken  loose  here  1  "  Cf.  ©onft  tnirb 
bcr  Xcufel  loS  fcin,  and  the  English  "  Else  there  will  be  the  devil  to 
pay." 

Line  7.  S)cfto  bcffcr.  Werner  thinks  his  chances  of  persuading 
the  major  to  go  with  him  to  Persia  are  now  all  the  better. 


ACT   SECOND. 

The  first  half  of  the  development  of  the  plot  has  fulfilled  the  re- 
quirements which  Lessing  has  established  for  it  in  his  Dramaturgy ; 
namely,  it  must  "  be  the  result  of  lively  action  ;  all  the  expressions 
which  the  poet  needs  to  introduce  the  spectator  to  the  situation  must 
proceed  in  animated  conversation  about  the  circumstances  of  the  per- 
sonages and  their  relations  to  one  another,  and  it  should  contain  every- 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  211 

thiug  necessary  to  the  introduction  and  to  the  complete  understanding 
of  the  principal  action  "  (Diintzer,  p.  29).  It  is  true  that  the  "fable 
of  Minna  "  is  distributed  throughout  the  whole  piece,  yet  the  essential 
pari  is  found  in  the  first  two  acts,  i.  e.,  within  the  prescribed  limits. 
We  now  know  Tellheim's  circumstances,  and  understand  fairly  his 
character  ;  it  is  also  necessary  to  learn  the  circumstances  and  character 
of  Minna,  which  the  second  act  represents  in  the  same  lively  manner 
as  the  scenes  just  finished  in  the  first  act.  Her  relation  to  Tellheim, 
the  object  which  brought  her  to  "  The  King  of  Spain,"  her  ardent  love 
of  the  hero,  are  all  well  portrayed.  We  are  given  an  interesting  and 
lively  description  of  their  first  meeting  and  their  engagement,,  of  Tell- 
heim's disgrace  and  crippled  condition.  Lessing  maintains  in  the 
second  act,  as  in  the  first,  the  true  dramatic  style  and  clearness  for 
which  he  was  celebrated. 


Scene  First. 


Page  97,  line  6.  aud)  (here  =  bo(^,  or  n)irfli(^),  "indeed,"  "in  fact." 
The  time  of  day  and  the  reason  for  it  is  quite  naturally  introduced 
here  as  in  the  beginning  of  the  first  act. 

Line  10.  ^ort)oralg,  cf.  ^cr(§,  p.  93,  1.  24,  and  ^etC^eitnS,  p.  98, 
1.  5 ;  the  plural  form  is  generally  Corporate  or  Corporate.  ba§  is 
here  the  collective  pronoun,  resuming  all  the  nouns  just  mentioned. 

Line  12.  nl»  ob  bic  Dtad)t  3U  ntd)t§  tnettiger  n^are  al§  3ur  9iu{)e, 
"as  if  the  night  were  for  anything  rather  than  for  rest."  5'itd)t§  tvc- 
rtiger  ola  means  "anything  rather  than,"  literally,  "nothing  in  a  less 
degree  than."  It  never  means  "  nothing  but,"  though  generally  felt 
so  by  English-speaking  people.     Cf.  Brandt,  §  333,  2  a. 

Line  19.  fo  =  jO  iDie  fo,  "anyway"  (i.  e.,  whether  we  drink  to- 
gether, or  I  alone;  because  we  got  up  too  early).     Cf.  11.  6,  7. 

Line  23.  bie  §a(tunc3  bcr  linpitulntion,  "  the  keeping  of  the  capit- 
ulation." She  has  come  to  receive  the  capitulation  according  to  tlie 
previous  betrothal,  and  not  to  an  attack  (@turman(5riff)  and  conquest, 
as  Franziska  implied.  The  recent  war  justifies  these  military  terms, 
as  they  had  been  common  topics  of  conversation  for  years. 

Page  93,  line  1.  bariibcr  (Ijabcn)  nrndjen  laffcn.  Tl.e  auxiliary  is 
often  omitted. 


212  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 

Lines  11-13.  Wan  traue  ,  .  .  gern  rtac^  bem  ^Dlaule.  Both  sen- 
tences are  now  proverbial.  Cf.  Shakespeare  :  "  Thy  wish  was  father, 
Harry,  to  that  thought"  (King  Henry  IV.,  Part  II.,  Act  IV.,  Sc.  IV., 
1.  93).  Also  Luke  vi.  45,  "For  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  his 
mouth  speaketh." 

^JJJquI  is  ap])lied  to  the  human  mouth  only  in  popular  and  vulgar 
language.  In  the  preceding  century  such  expressions  were  not  so 
offensive  to  good  taste  as  at  present. 

Line  17.  ®ie  ^Jiobe  luare  mir  eben  redjt ;  spoken  in  jest  or  ironi- 
cally, for  Minna  is  very  open-hearted. 

Line  21.  <Sont)crn,  "on  the  contrary."  "I  am  not,  but  (on  the 
contrary)  I  should  like  to  be  more  so." 

Line  25.  ^nmerfung,  here  "observation."  Now  we  should  say 
SBemcrfung. 

Lines  26,  27.  ft)Q§  cirtem  jo  einf allt  ?  The  expression  of  uncon- 
scious thoughts  forfeits  the  claim  of  originality,  is  Franziska's  idea. 

Page  99,  line  3.  nid)t  aud).  We  should  expect  the  opposite  or- 
der (nud)  nid)t),  but  ,,au6)  58e3icl)ung"  is  here  the  emphatic  idea,  and 
their  separation  would  tend  to  destroy  the  emphasis ;  hence,  probably, 
the  present  order. 

Line  15.  Ofonomie  =  ^^au§:^Qltung,  2anbrt)trtid)Qft,  ©parfomfeit, 
(?inrid)tung  ;  here  it  means  (S^jarfamfcit,  or  f^iarfanie  (^inric^tung. 
At  present  Ofonomic  is  generally  applied  to  agriculture. 

Line  19.  ginttcrgeift,  "  a  fickle  person."  Franziska  is  probably 
half  serious,  as  her  next  answer  to  Minna  implies. 

Line  21.  Su  UngU\c!(id)C !  Unfortunate  in  suggesting  a  misfor- 
tune, in  foreboding  evil;  see  below. 

Line  27.  ^lu(^  ein  Scufger  tniber  ben  grteben !  "Even  a  sigh 
against  peace ! "  It  cannot  be  used  here  in  the  sense  of  ,,nod)"  =  "  an- 
other" (cf.  Whitney  and  Buchheim),  as  this  is  the  first  sigh  we  have 
heard  of;  besides  this  use  is  common  enough.  ,,©ogar  no(^"  is  a 
synonymous  expression. 

Line  28.  gricbe  in  the  ace.  for  i^rtebeit ;  common  to  Lessing  and 
Goethe  when  unaccompanied  by  the  article. 

Page  100,  lines  9,  10.  !£L^enn  inbe§  .  .  .  I)atte.  Compare  above 
to  Ungliicilidje. 


CRITICAL    AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  213 

Line  11.  TaB  er  tot  tucire'?  Minna  answers  her  own  thoughts 
rather  than  Franziska's  words. 

Lines  14,  15.  ai^arte,  er  foil  e§  bir  gebenfen.  -iQaxk  implies  a 
threat,  "  just  you  wait,  look  out."  (^cbenfeu  is  here  employed  more  in 
the  sense  of  nadjtragen.     "  He  shall  make  you  pay  for  that." 

Line  16.  ©eitt  ^iegimcnt,  etc.  Cf.  Act  IV.,  Sc.  VI.  These  are 
only  such  excuses  for  Tellheim  as  naturally  occur  to  Minna.  She  has 
no  inkling  of  the  truth,  ^e^^^^ifi^tt  probably  means  disbanded,  or  it 
may  mean  consolidated  with  other  regiments. 


Scene  Second. 

Page  101,  line  5.  S^jnt  ;  this  is  the  only  time  Franziska  addresses 
the  landlord  Avith  this  pronoun;  elsewhere  she  uses  the  polite  ,,@ie." 

Line  21.  {}icrncid)[t,  "  in  the  next  place,"  denoting  the  order  of  his 
business.  In  the  first  place  he  comes  to  wish  them  good  morning,  and 
in  the  next  place  to  register  their  names. 

Line  28-  ^j^c§  (5tanbe§,  law  term  ;  "  of  whatever  rank  he  may  be." 
5Be»  =  lueld)c§,  and  is  used  adjectively. 

Page  102,  line  5.  5£)Qto,  Italian  commercial  language,  "to-day." 
a.  c.  =  anni  currentis. 

Line  6.  S^ero,  old  genitive  of  the  relative  pronoun  ber,  bie,  )ia^, 
instead  of  beren,  used  in  ceremonious  language  for  ^f}r  or  ^I^re. 

Line  13.  bod^  tt)of)I,  "however,"  "  I  suppose."  "It  can't  be  pos- 
sible that  it  is  a  sin,  can  it  1  "  There  still  existed  a  little  feeling  be- 
tween Prussia  and  Saxony  about  the  late  war,  which  "  the  Minna"  was 
intended  to  remove. 

Line  17.  loo  mir  red)t  ift.  2Bo  or  trenn  niir  red)t  ift  is  a  popular 
expression  meaning,  "If  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,"  "  if  I  am  not  very 
much  out." 

Lines  22,  23.  S;i)iir{nQcn,  the  Thuringian  part  of  the  Electorate 
of  Saxony,  as  it  existed  at  that  time. 

Line  28.  %a^  foU  id)  lt)oI)I  jein  ?  "  Do  you  mean  me  by 
that  ^  " 

Line  31.  ^ommerjunflfcr,  same  as  .^amntcrfvau,  "lady's-maid." 
Franziska's  supple  tongue  leads  the  landlord  a  dance.     It  is  difficult 


214  CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

to  translate  the  passage  so  as  to  show  the  difference  between  the 
two  words,  the  former  denoting  an  unmarried,  the  latter  a  married 
person. 

Page  103,  line  1.  ctnmal,  "some  day."  §anbel  madden,  "give 
trouble." 

Lines  5,  6.  I^Icin^SfammSborf  "lies near  Borna"  (Diintzer,  p.  57). 
Buchlieini  considers  it  imaginary. 

Line  7.     ^^of  =  ^;)crrcnl)oi,  "  manor,"  seat  of  a  country  landlord." 

Line  12.    auf,  "for." 

Lines  18,  17.  M  be§  J^onigS  ^JJaieftcit,  "his  royal  majesty."  The 
ordinary  expression  is  bct  ©einer  foniglidjcn  ^IRnjcftcit  (cf.  Buchheim, 
p.  155).  But  be§  ^i3iug§  yjJnicftcit  is  considered  more  elegant.  This 
indicates  that  they  are  in  the  royal  city,  hence  in  Berlin. 

Line  19.  3u[ti,^fottegii§.  Notice  the  Lat.  dat.  pi.  -is  instead  of 
German  ;ten. 

Line  27.    t)erncl)men,  here  =  t)erI)oren. 

Page  104,  lines  1,  3.  aber  bafe  .  .  .  bleibt ;  complete,  aim  jef)en 
©ie  3U,  baf3,  etc. 

Line  10.  yiofcnlDeifc ;  so  Lessing,  but  the  usual  form  now  is  ^afe; 
tDcije,  though  najennjiljig  is  found,  and  most  of  the  compounds  of  ^inje 
have  the  n.     Transl.  "  saucebox." 

Line  15.  fid)  ncl)mcn,  for  fi^  benef)mcn.  Goethe,  Schiller,  and 
Lessing  use  fid)  ncf)inen  in  this  sense. 

Line  19.  5JJeiIen,  German  miles,  each  of  which  equals  nearly  five 
English  miles. 

Page  105,  line  9.  ^od),  "yes,  indeed."  Here  used  in  emphatic 
denial  of  the  landlord's  insinuation  that  Saxon  maidens  are  not  com- 
passionate. 

Line  10.  cinncl)men.  aufnel)ntcn  is  usually  employed  in  this  sense, 
but  cinnct)tncn  also  signifies  to  receive  into  one's  house.  Cf.  fid)  ncl)= 
men  for  fi(^  bencl^mcn  above. 

Line  16.     ffli^cnn  fd)oii !     " Even  if  that  be  true,  what  of  it! " 

Line  17.  5Jtit  bcm  c§  ^u  (?nbc  c\d}i,  "who  is  on  the  borders  of 
bankruptcy."  The  slang  phrase  "  on  his  last  legs  "  exactly  renders 
the  German. 

Lines  18,  19.     Dcibicuter.     Minna  uses  the  word  in  the  good  sense, 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  215 

but  the  landlord  iuteutioually  takes  it  iu  the  bad  sense.  "  Yes,  he  has 
his  deserts,  for  he  has  been  cashiered." 

Line  20.  Notice  the  emphatic  ja,  enforcing  his  former  remark, 
"  That  is  what  I  just  told  you,  is  n't  it,  that  he  is,"  etc. 

Line  28.  lodljieuiDeig  iTricge»,  genitive  absolute.  Lessing  here  uses 
JDCiljrent)  as  present  participle,  out  of  which  the  modern  use  of  tr)af)rcnb 
as  preposition  witli  the  genitive  has  been  developed.  Cf.  again  p.  107, 
11.  3,  4,  and  Act  IV.,  Sc.  I,  11.  10,  11,  mafjrcnbcr  yjial)t,5cit. 

Page  106,  line  1.  §attc  cr  gleid),  "though  he  had."  In  German 
the  inverted  order  has  conditional  or  concessive  force  iu  cases  like  this, 
so  that  the  luenn  or  ob,  the  first  element  of  gleid^  (though),  is  not 
needed. 

Line  17.  unter  33riibcrn,  b.  I).  gcfd)at}t  mie  y3rUber  unter  fi(^  fd^atjen. 
The  phrase  unter  !^riibern  signifies  in  a  brotherly  manner;  here  with- 
out seeking  to  overreach,  hence,  "  at  its  lowest  value." 

Lines  27,  28.  ^ntndrt§  auf  bcm  Soften,  "inside  on  the  bezel  or 
collet  (setting)." 

Line  28.  ber  ^rauleitt.  Lessing  employs  the  natural  gender  in- 
stead of  the  grammatical  gender  of  the  word.  Der3ogcncr  5)^amc,  lit. 
"interlaced  name,"  "monogram." 

Page  107,  line  5.     5Bor(icn.nit;t,  obsolete,  now  ^^DrtDiffen. 
Line  28.     2Ccm   ift    er   mcf)v    |d)ulbig  7    for   mm   fonft   i[t   er 
j^ulbig? 

Line  29.    ©d)ulbner,  here  for  (Slaubiger. 


Scene  Third. 


Page  108,  lines  23,  24.  tt)a§  ftef)t  bit  Don  meinen  <Sad)en  on  1  6§ 
ftef)t  mir  an,  "I  like." 

Line  29.  fid)  allein  ju  freuen.  Compare  the  proverb:  ,,(SetIjcilte 
i^reub'  ijt  boppelte  ^reubc." 

Page  1C9,  line  3.  cinen  5an!ifd)eTt  9inufd),  "  a  quarrelsome  intoxi- 
cation." Minna  accepts  Franziska's  ttunfen  (intoxication),  but  warns 
her  that  it  is  a  quarrelsome  one. 

Lines  4,  5.  Hub  lucnn  bu  bid^  bebanfft  ;  she  waives  thanks,  be- 
cause she  gives  for  her  own  sake,  and  not  for  Franziska's.     I  feel  iu- 


216  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

clined  to  think  that  bebanfen  here  has  the  not  infrequent  meaning  of 
declining  with  thanks,  as  Minna  is  in  no  mood  to  he  refused ;  she  has 
einen  3dnfijci)en  Ofoufc^  ;  hence,  "  and  if  you  decline  with  thanks  (you 
will  rue  it)."  I  am  aware,  however,  that  the  authorities  are  against 
me. 


Scene  Sixth. 


Page  111,  line  6.  S)Q§  jofl  tt)ot)l  mtt  auf  mid)  gcl)en  "?  Notice  the 
force  of  mil,  and  cf.  ^d;  loar  mit  bobei,  I  was  also  there;  bo§  get)ort 
mit  bQju,  that  belongs  to  it  also.  Cf.  also  p.  77,  lines  26,  27.  "That 
means  me,  too,  does  n't  it  1  " 

Lines  8,  9.  bcm  gnabigen  ^^raulein  md)t  entgclten.  Compare  note 
to  p.  77, 1.  6. 

Lines  30,  31.    hjenn  .  .  .  loffen'?  *' if  people  are  to  let  one  alone  ?  " 


Scene  Seventh. 

Page  112,  line  15.  %Vi6)  l)in  \^  rtic^t  aHein,  "nor  am  I  alone 
either."     %\id)  adds  force  and  emphasis  to  the  thought  expressed. 

Page  113,  lines  4,  5.  Compare  Thomson's  well-known  verses  on 
loveliness : 

"  Loveliness 
Needs  not  the  foreign  aid  of  ornament. 
But  is,  when  unadorned,  adorned  the  most." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Lessing  translated  Thomson's  trage- 
dies, and  wrote  an  introduction  to  them.  In  Lessing's  opinion  Thom- 
son ranked  very  high. 

Line  11.     tnoUUftig,  "  pleasure-loving,"  in  contrast  to  fromm. 


Scene  Eighth. 

Page  113,  lines  23,  24.  Tellheim  remembers  that  he  has  re- 
nounced all  claim  to  Minna,  and  cannot  properly  call  her  "  his  Min- 
na."    He  therefore  assumes  a  more  formal  deportment.     The  surj)rise 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  217 

and  astonishment  of  both  parties  are  quite  natural.  Minna's  gentle 
reproof  that  she  is  still  Frauleiu  von  Barnhelm  arose  from  her  roguish 
disposition  (muttoilligj  ;  she  shows  her  serious  nature  in  the  following 
scene.  ^ 

Page  114,  line  6.     ^e,  for  ^efu§. 

Line  9.     Gi  ja  bod)  !    "yes,  indeed,  I  tell  you,  it  is!  " 

Line  11.  ^ungfer,  then  title  of  a  woman  or  girl  in  the  middle  or 
lower  classes.     It  generally  means,  at  present,  "  virgin." 

Lines  19,  20.  jo  ift  e§  um  il)ren  "^ilppetit  (jej^ef)en,  "it  will  spoil 
her  appetite." 

Scene  Ninth. 

Page  114,  line  25.  S^afe  e§  ber^tmtnel  VooUk  !  "Would  to  heaven 
it  were  so!"  In  his  present  situation  it  pained  Tellheim  to  see  his 
betrothed  before  him. 

Line  26.     eine  (Minna). 

Page  115,  line  12.     nur  eincn  ^Btadjd,  the  fear  that  he  loved  an- 
other.   The  second  "  thorn  "  is  that  he  had  ceased  to  love  her. 
Line  30.    bie  einjige  i^rage,  bie  =  biefe. 

Page  116,  lines  1,  2.  ^enbung  .  .  .  SSinfel^ug,  "evasion  .  .  . 
subterfuge." 

Line  5.    o^ngea(f)tet,  now  ungead)tet. 

Line  27.  fie  liefe,  [te  la^t  fid)  trdumen,  "she  dreamt,  she  dreams, 
thinks  "  =  fi(^  einbilben. 

Line  28.  framen  ©te  i^x  UnglUcf  au§,  "parade,  show  off  your  mis- 
fortune."   Here  humorously  said. 

Line  29.  beffen,  partitive  genitive  after  Diet,  "  how  much  of  it  she 
outweighs." 

Page  117,  line  5.  gcpra'^It  nnb  geflagt  ift.  The  past  participle 
with  Ijci^cn,  fein,  and  ncnncn  often  has  the  force  of  the  infinitive. 

Line  7.  iKcd)tI)aber,  "caviller,"  "wrangler,"  "one  who  considers 
himself  infallible." 

Line  8.  &an^  gcfd^tniegcn,  ober  gnn^  mtt  bcr  'Sprad)e  I)erau§.  This 
elliptical  construction  of  the  past  participle  often  has  the  force  of  a 
real  imperative. 


218  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY    NOTES. 

Line  16.     S'cr  9^ame  trifft  etn,  "the  name  coincides,"  " 
correct."     We  now  say  ,,tl^ittt  3U." 

Line  18.  DoUer,  the  older  inflected  mascnline  form  common  in 
O.  H.  G.  when  following  its  noun.  Now  it  is  equivalent  to  t)oU,  and 
is  used  for  all  genders  and  both  numbers,  when  preceding  the  depend- 
ent noun. 

Line  26.    ^rii^pel,  Lessing  wrote  ^riep|)el,  betriegen,  etc. 


ACT  THIRD. 


,,Wan  ireife  ntrfit,  iDoruin  e§  fid^  accrod)iert.  ®a  erf(i)eint  citt  retQr= 
bterenbcr  ^Uiftritt  jmifdjcn  bem  3Sadjtmciftcr  unb  i^ran^iSfa.  Wan 
fiel)t,  Sejfing  l)ai  2uft  an  t)cn  (£I)aractercn  geiDOuncn,  unb  fpielt  nun  mit 
tf)nen,  mall  fie  ju  einjelnen  S^enen  qu§,  bie  al§  folc^e  red)t  jd)on  finb." 
Goethe. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  action  is  somewhat  retarded  after  the 
lively  events  of  the  second  act,  yet  there  is  an  advance.  Werner's 
character  is  further  developed,  and  his  relation  to  Franziska  brought 
out.  The  dramatic  effect  is  excellent,  as  everything  is  lively  and  ani- 
mated, and  both  the  characters  and  action  charm  us.  But  it  is  all 
secondary  to  the  main  action. 

Scene  First. 

Page  119,  lines  7,  8.  SGPcnn  fic^  nur  bo  nid)t§  onfpinnt !  "I  only 
hope  nothing  farther  will  come  from  this !  " 

Line  10.  i^rauen§3eug  =  Srouentoolf,  "womankind;"  used  in  con- 
tempt. 

Line  12.  2Bie  gen?iinf(5t !  "  How  opportunely ! "  ^ammerfa^d^en, 
"lady's-maid,"  "abigail,"  lit.  "pussy-cat." 


Scene  Second. 


Page  119,  line  17.  ®Q  fliefie  mir  ja  glcicf)  n)n§  anf.  Pot.  subj.;  "I 
might  immediately  meet  with  something  right  here"  (But  this  fellow 
is  a  brute). 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  219 

Page  120,  line  11.  Wcin  S^cxx  bcrl'tel^t  ben  SfJummel,  "my  master 
understands  what  he  is  about,"  "  is  up  to  snuff."  9fiummel  means 
primarily  "  a  noise,"  "  row,"  then  "a  heap,"  "  collection,"  "  old  jumble," 
"old  lumber;"  here  vulgarly  employed  for  "the  whole  bobbery." 

Line  12.    ^raulein»  .  .  .  ii'ammevmatxijens,  of.  note  to  p.  93, 1.  2-i. 

Page  121,  line  3.  ^agcr.  Niemeyer  considers  this  the  liveried 
servant  who  stood  at  the  back  of  the  carriage  of  the  nobility  in  former 
times ;  hence  a  footman  in  huntsman's  livery.  But  compare  later  where 
it  seems  to  be  used  in  its  ordinary  sense.  au[3ul)eben  gcQcben,  "has 
put  in  the  hands  of  another  for  safe-keeping." 

Line  8.  Sdufer,  "outrider."  "These  were  servants  who  ran  for 
show  before  the  carriages  of  notables ;  they  were  lightly  clad  in  short 
breeches,  open  jackets,  and  caps  (somewhat  like  our  fatigue  caps) ; 
they  bore  a  long  staff  with  a  knob  and  tassel"  (Niemeyer,  p.  71). 

Line  17.  2)a§  mu&  id)  geftc^cn.  "Who  would  have  thought  it" 
(so  employed  in  familiar  language). 

Line  18.     t)on  fid)  lafjen,  "to  part  with,"  "dismiss." 

Line  27.  2i3iU;clm  luirb  fic^  alle  Gljre  mad;en,  "do  himself  all 
honor." 

Line  28.  (Sx  Ijai  bc§  $)errn  cjan^e  ©arberoBe  mit,  "  He  has  (taken) 
his  master's  entire  wardrobe  along."  The  sentence  in  German  is 
elliptical  for  Qx  :^ot  .  .  .  milgenommeit. 

Page  122,  lines  2,  3.  Tliese  French  words  point  the  irony  of  Just, 
and  express  his  contempt  at  the  same  time,  ^arlieren,  "  palaver," 
"dawdle;"  (^armterctt  (pr.  fc^armieren),  "to  ogle." 

Line  6.  h)ie  ber  5[Raj[or.  The  comparative  particle  toie  is  generally 
omitted  in  constructions  like  this.  Bonnie  er  if)rt  fd)on.  Inverted 
order,  hence  the  absence  of  tDCnn  or  oh  with  f d^on,  "  although,"  a  com- 
mon construction  in  German. 

Lines  8,  9.  ouf^utjeben  gegeBen  signifies  to  give  to  some  one  to 
keep.  Franziska  understands  Just  to  mean  that  the  major  has  pro- 
cured a  good  place  for  the  ^agcr,  whereas  Just  means  that  he  is  in 
safe  custody. 

Line  10.    2)em  ^omnmnbanten  bon  ©panbau.    This  is  a  strongly 


220  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 

fortified  town  iu  the  province  of  Brandenburg,  Prussia,  situated  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Havel  and  Spree,  eight  miles  from  Berlin.  It  has 
recently  been  converted  into  a  fortress  of  the  first  class,  and  is  now 
the  key  of  the  defences  of  the  capital. 

Line  11.  geftung.  Lessing  wrote  ^eftung.  S){e  ^agb  ouf  \)tn 
UBciUcn.     Franziska  certainly  takes  ^dgcr  in  its  ordinary  meaning. 

Lines  15,  16.  (^r  farrt  is  ambiguous;  transl.  "He  runs  a  wheel- 
barrow," i.  e.  in  the  menial  service  of  the  fortress;  im  barren  3tel)cn 
is  the  usual  expression.  Philip  was  condemned  to  labor  on  the  for- 
tress.   The  street  where  they  labored  is  still  called  ^arrenftrolje. 

Line  23.  ©d^leiflDege,  now  usually  (£d)lcid)lt)cge.  Cf.  the  rare 
(5c^lu[t  and  the  usual  (Sd)luc^t,  the  older  iSdjaft  of  the  miners  and  the 
modern  (5(^arf)t.  This  change  of  the  older  forms  in  f  and  ft  to  c^  and 
6)i  is  due  to  the  influence  of  the  Low  German.  Cf.  Brandt,  §  493,  4 
(4th  ed.),  and  Engelieu,  Gramm.  d.  uhd.  Spr.,  pp.  52,  53. 

Page  123,  lines  3,  4.  ©algenflricf,  "halter."  Here  ©olgenftric!  =» 
(Salgenbieb,  "  gallows-bird." 

Lines  5,  6.  Notice  the  play  on  the  words  ©(^iDetnnte  and  t)er= 
f(i)h)emmen.  Transl.  "In  washing  (the  horse)  he  may  indeed  have 
been  washed  away." 

Lines  9.    'iSnxx,  "whoa." 

Line  15.    ^rommetjdylagcr,  as  punishment  of  course. 

Lines  28,  29.  ©§  inarcn  looljt  alleg  S^re  guten  i^reunbc.  5l(Ie§  is 
thus  collectively  used  of  things  and  persons:  allcS  al§  ^eugen  einlabett ; 
e§  finb  aEe§  t^reitoiUige,  etc. 

Scene  Third. 

Page  124,  line  3.    SBif,,  here  "  thrust." 

Lines  5,  6.  ^^ !  2)cr  ungliic!lid)e  Wann  (Dott  ^eUl^eim  gefagt). 
Ah !  is  here,  as  in  Nathan,  V.  1.  339,  an  exclamation  of  pain. 

Line  21.  ©iiicm  2Birtc  lafet  ntd)ta  iibler  aly  5)U'ugierbe,  "nothing 
becomes  a  landlord  worse  tlian  curiosity," 

This  whole  account  of  the  landlord  contradicts  Lessing's  own 
words:  ,,(5r,^a!)Iung  bicibt  iiUTner  (5r3al)Iurtg,  iinb  ttiir  luollcn  auf  bcm 
5ll)cater  lt)irflid)e  ^anbtungcn  fct)en,"  though  he  admits  that  in  comedy 
(^r^al^tungen  can  be  real  action.  Here  he  wishes  to  recount  the  scene 
between  Minna  and  Tellheim,  to  show  up  the  inquisitive  nature  of  the 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  221 

landlord  and  produce  a  comic  scene.  The  real  action  (as  it  occurred 
between  Minna  and  Tellheim)  lay  outside  of  true  comedy,  and  could 
not  be  introduced  into  the  play. 

Line  22.  jo  prellte  .  .  .  auf,  for  jo  pxatiit  .  .  .  auf,  "  bounced 
open." 

Line  25.  jo  h)a§  Id^t  f{(^  nur  jel)en,  "  can  only  be  seen,"  it  defies 
description. 

Page  125,  lines  14,  15.  loer  iommert  bid^  ttun  ?  (ber  3)ia|or  ober 
id)?). 

Page  126,  line  15.     2^a  ijt  er  ja,  "why  there  he  is."     Werner  is 

rejoiced  to  find  the  landlord  whom  he  wishes  to  call  to  account  for  his 

conduct  towards  the  major. 

Line  19.    ^lUeS  ba§  iDirb  jid)  ftnbcn,  "we  '11  see  about  that  later." 
Line  21.    ^yraueni^immerdjen,  dim.  of  grauen^inimer.    It  formerly 

meant  a  collection  of  women  of  rank,  a  woman  of  rank,  gentlewoman. 

Franziska  appeared  to  "Werner  like  a  real  gentlewoman.      Transl. 

"young  lady." 

Page  127,  line  8.  2)aB  e§  .  ,  .  fiir  ©pa^  erflciren,  supply  ,,n5ie 
(irgerlid),"  \)a^,  etc.,  or  some  similar  expression. 

Lines  12,  13.  ©o  bor  3rt3an3ig  :5al)rcn  mar  loaS  bran,  "some  twenty 
years  ago  there  was  something  in  it." 

Line  15.  D  liber  ben  alien  ^JJarren.  Supply  pfui  iiher,  etc.,  "fie, 
on."  After  the  interjection  D  the  genitive,  vocative,  or  accusative  with 
uber  can  be  used. 

Line  16.     2)a  [tec!t'§  eben,  "there  's  the  rub." 

Line  19.  ^Jolj  ©ed  unb  fein  (5nbe  signifies  foppery  surpassing 
all  measure.  Unb  fcin  ©nbe  is  common  in  exclamations  and  curses, 
as  -Jlarren  unb  fein  (5nbc.  Lessiug  uses  Jlritif  unb  fein  (f  nbe ; 
Goethe  has  ©I)afe§peare  unb  fein  6nbe.  Transl.  "the  deuce  take 
his  foppery." 

Line  21.    SBon  bcr  (§ejaf)rli(^!eit,  ber  =  biejer. 

Page  128,  line  20.  2)a§  l^eifet  S^n  (§ott  jpred)en  !  the  normal  or- 
der is,  (5ott  l)eifet  SI)n  "ba^  jpredjen.  The  landlord  has,  however,  only 
quoted  Minna.     See  p.  105. 

Line  28.    !^erau§!ommt,  "prove  correct;"  here  "seem." 


222  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Pag-e  129,  line  14.  c§  Ware  bcrtrt.  In  restrictive  clauses  the  nega- 
tive force  is  expressed  by  the  subjunctive  and  the  adverb  benn,  as  e§ 
fei  bcnn,  C^  tpcire  benn,  "unless,"  etc.  Here  the  negative  force  lies  in 
a  lost  ne,  always  present  in  M.  H.  G.  Cf .  Brandt,  §  336,  1 ;  Whitney, 
§  331,  1  e. 

Scene  Fifth. 

Page  130,  line  5.  ben  ^43ettcl,  cf.  87,  1.  4,  rememberiug  that  Wer- 
ner is  very  much  like  his  major. 

Line  17.  :prQcticieren,  "  to  slip  on  the  finger  furtively  and  adroitly. 
Cf.  ftugfieren,  in  the  figurative  sense  of  "to  help  one  along,"  "to 
manoeuvre  into  "  =  Ijineinmanoeubriren. 

Lines  28,  29.  luenn'S  "^Ijx  nid)t§  berf d)Iagt,  "  if  it 's  all  the  same  to 
you." 

Line  32.    I^erein,  so  Lessing ;  it  should  be  !)inein. 


Scene  Sixth. 


Page  131,  line  13.  Sd^neHer,  "  trick,"  "  device,"  "  something  quickly 
done."  It  means  literally  to  snap  something  with  the  finger  by  plac- 
ing the  nail  on  the  thumb  ;  "  to  fillip." 

Line  17.  The  third  fte  seems  superfluous  in  English,  as  the  preced- 
ing bie  is  the  object  of  bcjaljlen,  but  the  best  usage  requires  the 
repetition  of  the  pronoun  in  such  cases. 


Scene  Seventh. 

Page  132,  line  6.  llm  ntir  .  .  .  boll  ^u  ffitrfjcn,  lit.,  "to  curse  my 
ears  full  against  the  landlord  of  the  old  one,"  i.  e.,  "  to  fill  my  ears  full 
of  curses  against,"  etc.     bofl  is  factitive  object  after  flud)cn. 

Line  7.  mir,  ethical  dative.  "For  my  sake;  don't  think  of  it,  or 
I  beg  you  not  to  think  of  it." 

Lines  13,  14.  ba§  iDcbcr  Sie  nod)  id)  fennen.  We  should  really 
expect  the  singular  verl)  here,  but  it  is  probably  attracted  to  tlie  plural 
by  the  (£ic.  Even  with  disjunctive  conjunctions  the  Germans  often 
use  the  plural  of  the  verb. 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY  NOTES.  223 

Line  28.  ein  2:i)aler  oc^t^ig,  and  ein  ad)t  Xag^t,  p.  133, 1.  3,  are  col- 
loquial forms  for  an  orfitjig  2:i)aler,  an  ad)i  Slagc,  or  ungcfd!)r  ad)t3ig, 
ungefdl)r  ad)i.  Compare  the  Euglish,  a  twelvemonth,  a  dozen,  a 
hundred,  "about  an  eight  days,"  Luke  ix.  28  (see  Brandt,  §  259, 
4th  ed.). 

Page  133,  lines  31,  32.  Um§  Siigen  ;  the  logical  subject  is  often 
expressed  after  the  preposition  um  in  German;  "lying  is  a  rascally 
mean  business."     Cf.  the  German  proverb :   Jiugen  Ijabcn  fur3e  ^^eine. 

Page  134,  lines  14,  15.     Wan  .  .  .  ift,  has  become  proverbial. 

Line  22.  niit  ben  ^antinen.  Pontine  is  a  bottle-case.  Here  we 
can  translate  "  witli  the  canteens." 

Line  26.  ein  Xrunf  faulc§  ^Bafier.  After  expressions  of  weight 
and  measure  the  partitive  genitive  used  to  be  the  regular  construction, 
but  it  has  now  passed  over  to  a  mere  apposition.  Grammatically 
speaking,  we  should  have  the  genitive  in  such  constructions  whenever 
the  dependent  substantives  have  a  qualifying  attributive,  but  this  con- 
struction is  now  considered  only  theoretical  or  poetical.  Idiomatic 
German  requires  at  present  the  appositive  in  both  cases. 

Line  27.  5lUe  bcr  Cnorf,  "  trash."  mc  is  originally  the  O.  H.  G. 
instrumental  singular  of  the  masculine  and  neuter  genders,  and  then 
employed  only  after  prepositions.  In  modern  German,  however,  it 
has  become  general,  being  found  in  the  singular  and  plural  of  all 
genders  and  in  all  cases. 

Page  135,  lines  11,  12.  Cber  t)at  e§  mit  metnem  §atfe  ttjcniger 
3U  fagen  al§  mit  meinem  ^-i3eulel?  "Is  my  neck  of  less  consequence 
than  my  purse?"  This  idiom  ,,ba§  ^at  Uienig,  biel,  md)t§,  etc.,  ^u 
fagen,  is  often  very  troublesome.  It  may  be  translated  into  English 
by  "  it  signifies  little,  much,  nothing,"  etc.,  or  by  "  it  is  of  little,  much, 
no  consequence." 

Line  23.     ^n§  (Sebrcinge  fommcn,  "to  be  hard  pressed." 

Page  136,  line  17.  bie  ©rfar)rung  =  biefc  (?rfnf)rung.  When  em- 
phatic ber,  btc,  ba§,  is  the  demonstrative  pronoun  and  bears  the  accent. 
Cf.  Brandt  §  244 ;  Joynes-Meissner  §  456,  2. 

Lines  31,  32.  mufe  '^^l)xe  ^ad)t  au§  fcin,  "your  case  will  be  over," 
or  "finished;"  i.  e.,  "decided." 

Line  32.    @clb  bie  5Jienge,  French /orce  argent.     For  eine  5Jienge 


224  CRITICAL    AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

©elb,  or  (Selt)e§.  Appositional  construction,  and  very  common  in 
German,  ^ntereffen,  now  ^infen  in  this  sense,  Imt  at  that  time  both 
SJietier  and  ^nterefjen  were  used  in  the  French  sense. 

Page  137,  line  6.  Quf '§  ^kx,  for  tm  mUx,  "  in  old  age."  With 
a  difference,  however.  ^uf§  ^Iter  includes  the  idea  of  growing  old 
while  im  %iUx  denotes  the  mere  state. 

Line  11.  ^u  Xobe  futtern  =  bi§  pm  Xobe  filttcrn,  "feed  (i.  e., 
provide  for  thee)  tiU  the  day  of  thy  death."  Cf.  Lessing  in  Sie 
(^cjd)id)le  be§  alien  ffiBolfS  :  futtere  micf)  ju  %o't)C  unb  \^  bertimdje  Sir 
lucinen  ^el^. 

Line  18.    ©djou  gut!   "aU  right!" 


Scene  Ninth. 


Page  138,  lines  15,  16.  ^JJfunbierungSftiidEe,  "  equipments."  Wer- 
ner uses  the  colloquial  corruption  ^unbierung  for  5Rontierurtg  (equip- 
ment, equipage). 

Scene  Tenth. 

Page  139,  line  21.  5[JJcin  (Sdjidfal.  Tellheim  is  anxious  to  learn 
the  result  of  his  letter. 

Page  140,  line  25.  ,,^at3  Qxi§:^alten,  b.  I),  ftill  '^alkn,  ]px\S})x>MV\d]t 
9?cben§art,  t)on  bcm,  bcr  f)erl)altcn,  ©d}limmc§  iiber  fid)  ergeljcn  laffcrt 
muf,,  n)ie  ^nt]  ober  bie  ^a\]t  i^aiim,  ^ai]  inne  l)altcn,  bie  ^aljc  Ijckn, 
«rf:^)runglid)  bon  eirter  ©trofe."    Diintzer,  p.  78. 

Line  27.  ^unftc,  provincialism  for  ^45unft.  The  form  (^^un!te) 
probably  arose  from  a  confusion  of  the  two  idioms  ouf  bcm  ^^^unftc  fctn, 
@th)a§  p  tl^iin  (=  nnl)c  bnrnn)  and  auf  ben  ^unft  3  U^r.  Preposition 
and  article  were  omitted,  which  gave  ^unfte  3. 

Page  141,  line  3.  n^ir  mciren  ollein  (trol]  ber  ^Inincfcnljeit  5Ii^erncT§, 
mcnn  bn§  ^rciulein  ben  ^-Brtcf  gelefen  Ijattc),  fie  Ijat  it)n  ntier  nid)t  ge= 
Icfcn.  "We  should  be  alone,  in  spite  of  the  presence  of  Werner,  if 
the  young  lady  had  read  the  letter,  but  she  has  not  read  it ;  so  I  have 
nothing  to  say  to  you."  SBtircn  is  the  conclusion  implying  the  non- 
fulfilment  of  the  (here  understood)  condition. 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  225 

line  25.  Wii  bem  ^^rauensimmer  ;  ^^rauenjimmer  here  menus 
"  women"  in  general  (cf.  note  above,  p.  126,  1.  21). 

Line  28.  TaSmal,  provincial  for  bieSmal.  But  compare  note  to 
line  17,  page  136. 

Page  142,  lines  6,  7.  Tellheim  believes  readily  that  Minna  has 
not  read  the  letter,  and  tlie  author  leaves  us  in  the  dark  as  to  whether 
Tellheim  keeps  it  or  whether  Frauziska  takes  it  back  to  Minna.  How- 
ever, the  fact  that  Franziska  ,,be)iii;t  ilju"  would  imply  that  she  keeps 
it  and  returns  it  to  Minna. 

Line  11.  toiffen  Sic  tua»  ?  This  phrase,  when  spoken  with  the 
rising  inflection,  serves  to  introduce  a  suggestion,  an  advice,  iii^eitjt 
bu  rooi  ?  "  Suppose  we  (I,  you)  do  so  and  so."  Here  "  Major,  suppose 
you  come,"  etc.  The  full  expression  is:  lueiBt  bu  tuaa  id)  (inir,  etc.), 
tl)un  win  (luollcn),  etc.,  =  ©oU  idj  bir  fagen,  luas,  etc.  Cf.  English 
"I '11  tell  you  what!"  etc. 

Lines  11-15.  Tellheim  was  probably  in  soldier's  boots,  but  Frau- 
ziska wants  him  to  come  in  knee-breeches,  and  in  shoes  with  buckles ; 
to  have  his  hair  dressed  in  court  style,  etc.,  after  the  fashion  of  the  day. 

Line  15.  ,,lirat),  prcuflijd),"  "too  soldierly,"  "  too  Prussian."  As 
Saxon  Franziska  had  no  especially  good  feeling  for  the  Prussians. 

Lines  18-20.  ^QT]it)tert  I)atten  .  .  .  Su  fannft  e§  erratljcn 
l^alien.  Compare  Act  I.,  Scene  I.,  where  it  is  implied  that  Tellheim 
had  camped  out. 

Line  28.  biirfcn  (barf)  here  has  the  older,  but  now  rather  rare 
force  of  "  to  have  occasion  to,"  "  reason  for,"  "  need."  Cf.  Brandt, 
§  267,  2,  2.  

Scene  Eleventh. 

Page  143,  line  12.  3tt)an3ig  (finger,  ntle  boHcr  OJinge.  "Werner 
has  really  pleased  Franziska,  but  she  wislies  to  find  out  whether  he 
sets  so  little  store  by  fidelity  as  his  words  about  the  major  would 
imply.  His  explanation  convinces  her  that  it  was  nothing  but  his 
over-boastfulness. 

Line  15.  bie  ©d^nurre  fu'^r  mir  nun  fo  I)crau§  ;  ©djnurre  = 
fpa^tger  (?infQfl,  "  jocular  conceit."    "  I  was  only  joking." 

Line  17.  Hub  l^unbcrt  unb  f)unbertma(.  Again  exaggeration  on 
the  part  of  Werner,  who  is  a  great  boaster,  and,  as  the  Germans  say, 
,,tmmer  ben  DJIunb  etioay  t)oII  nimmt." 


226  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Line  21.  Tlad)cn,  in  the  colloquial  sense  of  "  to  make  haste,"  "  to 
hasten"  (cf.  p.  91,1.  7). 

Lines  21,  22.  (Sutcn  ^-Jlpl^etit.  The  usual  greeting  at  all  meals  in 
Germany.     ^leid;faE§,  i.  e.,  SI;nen  gleidjfaE»,  "  the  same  to  you." 


Scene  Twelfth. 

Page  144,  lines  4,  5.  ruljig  n^i^ug,  bofe  .  .  .  Notice  the  mixture 
of  two  constructions  here.  We  should  expect  the  construction  with 
the  supine,  ,,um  if)n  ^ier  bel)alten  ju  ti)nnen,"  "calm  enough  for  re- 
taining him  here,  or  to  retain  him  here ; "  instead  of  this  we  have  the 
final  clause  of  result,  which  really  ought  to  be  preceded  by  ,,jo  ruljig, 
i)Q^  .  .  .  ."  This  exchange  is  permissible  in  German.  This  construc- 
tion was  probably  used  for  the  sake  of  the  peculiar  force  which  here 
lies  in  the  pluperfect  subjunctive ;  "  that  I  might  (after  all)  have  re- 
tained him." 

Line  8.  jprad),  for  berrietr),  or  ^eigte ;  a  rare  use  of  f^ired)cn.  The 
more  usual  form  would  be:   3)er  el)rlid)c  3)iann  fprad)  au§  jcber  ^dk. 

Line  11.     9Jiag  er  bod),  French,  qu'importe  ?   "  no  matter." 

Line  17.  fcirtcr,  grammatical  mistake  for  if)in.  (? ntfagcn  governs 
the  dative.  Below,  1.  20,  Lessing  wrote  first  in  the  manuscript  feincS 
3UJanne§,  and  then  changed  it  to  the  dative.  He  probably  forgot  to 
make  the  necessary  change  here.  This  verb  never  governs  the 
genitive.  Lessing  possibly  confounded  this  construction  with  that  of 
fic^  entfagen  with  the  genitive. 

Lines  20,  21.  ©in  6trcid)  i[t  mtr  bcigefaHcn  ;  ©treid),  in  familiar 
language  "  a  trick,"  "  a  rig."  "  I  have  just  thought  of  a  ruse."  ^-i3cifal; 
len  is  synonymous  with  einfaflen,  though  not  so  common  in  this  sense 
as  the  latter. 

Line  23.    red^t  feljr  rut)ig,  "excessively,"  "superlatively  calm." 


ACT  FOURTH. 

"With  this  act  the  development  begins  (see  remarks  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  first  act).     The  action  is  really  taken  up  where  it  was  left 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  227 

at  the  end  of  the  second  act.  Act  third  has  added  but  little  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  plot ;  still  it  has  been  entertaining  while  at  the  same 
time  aiding  in  the  development  of  the  characters.  The  plot  of  the 
play  is  now  first  discovered,  but  extends  to  the  twelfth  scene  of  the 
fifth  act ;  it  is  rich  in  changing  conflicts,  and  raises  the  dramatic  atten- 
tion to  its  highest  point.  Tellheim  has  hitherto  refused  Minna's  hand, 
because  he  considered  himself  in  disgrace ;  his  honor  is  under  a  cloud, 
and  he  cannot  consent  to  allow  the  being  he  loves  to  make  what  he 
calls  a  degrading  marriage.  Minna  knows  that  he  will  marry  her  in 
spite  of  everything,  provided  she  can  make  him  believe  that  she  has 
been  disinherited  on  account  of  her  love  to  him ;  in  this  consists  the 
intrigue. 

Scene  First. 

Page  145,  lines  10,  11.  2BaI)renber  SJia^^tjett ;  compare  p.  105, 
L  26,  and  p.  107,  11.  3,  4. 

Line  18.  <Bid)  ©rillert  mad)en,  "  to  be  melancholy ;  "  here  fic^  un= 
notI)tfle  ©orgen  mo^en.  meIand)oIijd)e,  i.  e.,  O^rillcn  madjenbe  :  Goethe 
(Book  eighth  of  S^ic^tung  unb  2lV:()r(}cit)  says,  that  ,,er  (bcr  ^affce) 
iljm  cine  eigne  trifle  Stimmung  gab  "  (Gosche). 

Lines  20,  21.  Usually  einer  Bad)c  or  iiber  einer  ©ac^e  na(^ben!en, 
"to  reflect,"  or  "meditate  on." 

Page  146,  lines,  6,  7.  S^afe  id)  ungtiidtit^  unb  berlaffen  tiin.  This 
is  Minna's  plan  and  the  real  development  of  the  play.  Not  very  fine 
or  clever,  say  the  French  critics,  and  carried  too  far,  as  we  shall  see. 
Perhaps  Tellheim  might  say  with  Alceste : 

"  Que  la  plaisanterie  est  de  mauvaise  grace ! " 

Line  8.  Unb  fo  linis.  2Bq§  stands  for  etmaS  and  fo  is  used  in  the 
sense  of  fold),  as  frequently.  Here  fo  n3Q§  =  cttoaS  h)ie  bQ§,  etloa§ 
5i()nli.-f)c5,  ein  8old)c§,  "  Such  a  thing." 

Lines  8,  9.  Lessing  the  moralist  speaks  here  in  the  person  of 
Franziska;  the  result  shows  that  the  remark  is  perfectly  just.  Mo- 
liere  often  made  use  of  his  domestics  to  interpret  his  moral  reflexions, 
but  always  as  a  true  comic  poet,  never  as  a  rigid  moralist. 

Line  12.  2a^  m\<i)  nur  corresponds  to  the  English  "Just  let  me 
alone,"  "  Please  don't  interfere." 


228  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 


Scene  Second. 

Page  146,  line  20.  Riccaut  de  ]a  Marliuiere,  a  character  not  at  all 
essential  to  the  action.  Trench  critics  justly  observe  that  adventurers 
selling  their  services  to  the  one  offering  the  most  belonged  to  all 
nations  of  Europe,  and  tliat  France  furnished  less  than  any  other  na- 
tion ;  hence  Lessing  should  have  chosen  his  character  from  one  of 
the  others.  But  the  battle  then  waging  against  the  French  school 
and  the  French  parasites  whom  Frederick  II.  had  called  to  Berlin,  in 
all  probability  influenced  and  justifies  Lessing's  choice.  Both  the  Ger- 
man and  French  of  this  scene  are  bad,  of  course,  for  the  comic  effect. 
I  have  not  attempted  to  correct  either,  except  where  it  is  necessary  for 
the  understanding  of  a  passage  :  both  will  be  readily  understood,  and 
much  better  enjoyed  as  they  are  in  the  original  than  in  any  para- 
phrase. 

Line  23.  2BiII  ba§  3U  un§  1  This  use  cf  ba§  referring  to  persons 
corresponds  to  the  familiar  use  of  ca  (for  cela)  in  French,  referring  to 
persons.  It  generally  expresses  familiarity  and  contempt.  Transl. 
"Is  that  fellow  coming  here  1 "     Cf.  Schiller  in  Wallenstcin's  Lager : 

„Gi,  ba§  inufe  immer  foufen  unb  frefjen." 

Act  I.,  Sc.  iii.,  1.  4. 

Page  148,  lines  2  and  12.  Pardonneres,  saches,  older  spellings,  as 
throughout  this  scene.     See  Addendum. 

Lines  6-10.  Probably  a  thrust  at  those  aping  the  French  customs,  and 
priding  themselves  on  their  ability  to  speak  an  excellent  French  while 
despising  the  German.     It  also  raised  the  national  tone  of  the  piece. 

Line  18.  i^rtcg§beportement  shoAvs  that  Berlin  is  the  city  in  which 
the  scene  is  laid.  The  War  Department  building  was  on  Wilhelms- 
platz  in  Wilbelmsstrasse,  which  lay  at  some  distance  from  the  central 
part  of  the  city  proper. 

Page  149,  line  17.  Chevalier.  He  was  by  no  means  chevalier, 
only  lieutenant  (Cf.  Tellheim,  p.  165,  1.  23;  and  (^clbicigcr,  p.  179, 
1.9). 

"•Lines  18,  19.  Much  has  been  said  about  "  Prot-au-val "  and  Prens- 
d'or,  some  even  changing  them  to  " Pret-au-vol,"   'ready  to  steal,"  and 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  229 

"  Prend-d'or,"  "  grab-gold."  Some  have  made  the  former  words  mean 
'*  debt-valley,"  aud  "  gold-taker,"  but  Lessiug  probably  only  wished  to 
render  the  whole  scene  comical.  He  would  hardly  make  Riccaut  give 
himself  such  manifestly  disagreeable  names. 

Page  150,  line  4.  reforme;  it  should  be  reforme.  Formerly 
officier  rtfonne  was  one  from  whom  his  employment  was  withdrawn, 
but  who  retained  a  part  of  his  salary.  Here  it  means  one  who  had 
been  dismissed  outright. 

Lilies  16,  17.  (?in  jebca  Ungliiif  fc^Ieppt  feinert  58ruber  nad)  fi^ 
is  a  popular  German  proverb.  Our  "  misfortunes  never  come  single  " 
is  the  English  equivalent. 

Page  151,  line  17.      Lessing  is  here  giving  his  own  excuse  for 

gambling,  say  the  critics. 

Line  28.    ofjnldntjft,  now  obsolete,  for  unlangft. 

Page  152,  lines  7-9.  "Your  ladyship  shall  have  a  third  interest 
in  my  bank."  interefl'ir  for  intcreifiert.  The  whole  sentence  is  ter- 
ribly broken,  but  the  meaning  is  evident. 

Line  17.  rinbern,  compare  French  nous  autres  joueurs,  which  Ric- 
caut has  mentally  translated.     Cf.  p.  149,  1.  5. 

Lines  25,  26.     (^infa(§ptnfc,  for  (fin|a(t§pinfet.     ^eiif,  for  XeufeL 

Line  32.  Je  sais  monter  un  coup.  German,  einen  eutjdjeibenbert, 
fat)rf)en  2Burf  3U  mad)cn,  "  make  a  false  play." 

Page  153,  line  2.  Je  file  la  carte  avec  une  adresse,  German,  eirte 
^arte  fort  3U  fi^affcn,  unterjufc^tagcn,  "slip  away  a  card." 

Line  4.  Je  fais  sauter  la  coupe,  German,  ®ie  5BoIte  (pr.  2BoIle)  JU 
f(i)Iagcn,  "to  stock  the  cards." 

Lines  10,  11.  L'enchainer  (enchainer)  sous  ses  doigts,  e§  Qtt  bie 
tJinger  fetten,  "to  make  a  sure  thing  of  it." 


Scene  Third. 


Page  154,  line  7.     ^ann  \6)  nod^  reben'?     Franziska  is  nearly 
speechless  with  vexation. 

Lines  26,  27.    Sen  ^HIbtf)at{gen,  ber  ben  53ettlcr  an^  ©rofemut^ 


230  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Dcrfenrten  totH,  berfennt  ber  35eltler  luicbcr,  "  the  beggar  fails  to  recog- 
nize in  his  turn  the  benevolent  person,  who,  from  motives  of  gener- 
osity, declines  to  recognize  the  beggar  as  such." 

Lines  27,  28.     ''ilun  mogcn  (5ie  e§  Ijabcn,  etc.,  "that  serves  you 
right,  if  (he  looks  upon  your  gift  as  dishonoring  you)." 

Page  155,  line  28.  ^ommft  bu  ba  Itjieber  'f)tn  ?  "  Are  you  at  it  again  1 " 
Line  29.   ^^o  bu  mir,  etc.,  for  iBenn  bu  mir,  etc.   It  would  be  consid- 
ered faulty  now,  but  cf.  above,  p.  102, 1.  17.     Transl.  "  should  you,"  etc. 


ScENK  Fourth. 

Page  156,  line  17.    Dor  bem  ©d^Iagc  brei,  "before  the  stroke  of 
three,  before  it  struck  three." 


Scene  Fifth. 


Page  157,  line  12.  aufpmuljen  ;  primitively  the  word  meant  to 
adorn  with  ornaments  {=  nufpuljCn);  now  it  means  to  make  conspicu- 
ous by  mockery,  blame,  or  reproach  (=  l^crt)0rl)cbcn,  gcinb^nlid)  mit 
tabelnbem  58eifinnc).  Compare  the  first  scene  of  this  act,  p.  146, 
11.  12-14,  where  Franziska  does  ,,autmu^en"  5!Jiinna'§  ,,beiit  2Bad)t= 
niciftcr."  Lessing  is  very  fond  of  the  word,  and  Wieland  and  Goethe 
also  use  it. 

Line  17.  ja  freilti^,  etc.,  "  why,  of  course  they  appear  there  more 
like  puppets  than  men." 

Line  19.  ^id)  felbft  fleloffcn,  for  [id)  felbft  iiberlafjcn,  fict)  ^elbft 
geI)ort.  Lessing  also  has  bie  fic^  felbft  gelaffcne  9iatiir,  for  bie  fid)  felbft 
iiberlaffcne  ^flatur. 

Line  20.  "Da^  mufete  ic^  benn  IdoI)I,  "  I  suppose  I  really  must,  ought 
to." 

Line  21.    Quf  bem  ©oate,  for  in  bem  ©aale. 

Line  27.  bc§  3Raior§  feincn,  colloquial  for  ben  be§  5JJaJDr§,  a  not 
infrequent  construction  in  German.  ®icfe  ©tube  ift  bem  93atcr  feine, 
bu  fie^ft  ber  ^Jiutter  iljren  (Xifd;)  are  also  found  in  Lessing. 


-"i^ 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  231 


Scene  Sixth. 

Page  158,  lines  15-17.  Minna  means  here  that  Tellheim's  renun- 
ciation of  herself  at  their  previous  meeting  was  childish  on  his  part, 
while  she  was  childish  in  considering  it  serious.  Tellheim,  however, 
applies  childish  to  Minna's  frantic  resistance  to  the  separation  instead 
of  submitting  resignedly  to  necessity. 

Lines  19,  20.  unb  Ijernadj  (luoUcn  tDir)  meinem  Cljeim  enlgcgeu 
(geljen). 

Page  159,  line  1.  Wad)tn  <Bk  ft(^  feinc  ©ebanfen,  "do  not  be 
uneasy  about  it."    Sid)  (^cbanfcn  madjcn  =  Sid)  Sorgen  madjen. 

Lines  1,  2.  U3c]orgtcn  tt)ir  jd)on,  inverted  order;  transposed  order, 
njenn  tuir  jdjon  beiorgtcn,  "  though,"  etc.  Cf.  p.  106,  1.  2  above  for 
the  absence  of  tuenn  or  ob.  In  such  cases  the  fdjon  or  the  glcid)  has 
the  force  of  menit;  or  obfdjon,  or  mcmu  or  obgleid). 

Line  19.  bie,  the  natural  gender,  instead  of  ba§,  the  grammatical 
gender  of  yjidbdjcrt.  Goethe  sanctions  this  usage,  and  it  is  not  infre- 
quent in  classic  German.  But  compare  p.  160,  1.  4,  where  Lessing  uses 
ha^,  the  grammatical  gender  being  the  more  important  idea. 

Line  27.  auf  Sett  meine»  Sebeng  =  auf  meiu  Cebtage,  or  better 
Quf  metne  Cebjeiten. 

Page  160,  line  11.  5?orm!ttaqe,  so  Lessing.  All  editors  change 
it  to  !i^ormittag,  which  form  we  should  expect,  ^^ormittoge  is  most 
probably  only  a  united  t)or  and  ^JJUttage,  which  is  entitled  to  the  :e  as 
dative  sign.  5iJormittage  and  ^Jindjmtttage  are  at  present  heard  in  dia- 
lects, but  good  usage  requires  iBormittag,  5tad)mittQg.  Cf.  Goethe's 
Faust,  i.,  2903-4  ( Weimar  ed. )  : 

,,  .'i^erjeiljt  bie  greiljeit,  bie  id)  genommen, 
UBiU  5?ad)mittage  it)iebertounnen." 
Line  14,  15.     Untcrgcftccft  morbcn,  "consolidated  with  others." 
Line  17.    niie  c§  foinmen  miiifen  ;  supply  Ijai  before  fommen.    The 
auxiliary  is  often  omitted. 

Lines  22,  23.  enlbel)rlirf),  "dispensable  (superfluous)"  .  .  .  itn= 
entbcl^rlid),  "  indispensable !  " 

Page  161,  lines  4,  5.  ouf  ben  55erluft,  translate  Quf  by  "on  the 
strength  of." 

Line  13.  (5itt  !Ieiner  ^ruppcl  =  ein  loenig  ^riip^el,  "something  of 
a  cripple." 


^232  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Page  162,  line  2.  berncljme,  for  t)crf)ore.  "If  I  examiue  yonr 
beggar  (which  you  pretend  to  be)." 

Line  5.  ^apitale,  generally  ^hipitaltert  in  the  plural.  Here  "  stocks," 
"investments."  5!Jiit,  i.  e.,  either  Avith  that  of  other  people,  or  with 
other  losses  of  his  own. 

Line  22.     'iJlmtcrn,  here  "  districts." 

Line  31.  raliljabierenben  =  ^u  gene!)mtgcnben,  giUtig  gu  mod^cnbert, 

,^U  beftatigenben.  Compare  the  Latin  ratiJmhitio  from  [ratum-hahere) . 
Translate  "  the  debts  to  be  ratified  or  approved."  Siatifijieren  is  the 
more  usual  expression ;  both  are  commercial  terms. 

Page  163,  lines  2,  3.  Wan  jog  fpiJttifd^  "t^a?)  Wm\,  lit.  "puckered 
their  mouths  mockingly,"  i.  c.,  smiled  incredulously."  ^^alute,  also 
UJotula,  from  the  Ital.  and  a  commercial  term;  "the  face"  (of  the 
biU). 

Line  4.  (Sratiol  =  ®elbgcjd)enf  ^ur  5BeIof)nung  geleiftcler  5)ienfte ; 
perhaps  here  3^anfgefd)cnf  =  "  a  gratuity;"  here  a  bribe. 

Lines  3-7.  Compare  Critical  Analysis,  pp.  64,  65,  and  68  of  the 
Introduction,  where  the  historical  facts  are  given. 

Line  21.  S^re§  Cf)eim§  !  S^rer  (Stcinbe !  If  Tellheim  had  been 
bribed,  their  testimony,  as  parties  to  the  deed,  would  avail  nothing. 
For  they  were  his  companions  in  guilt. 

Line  24.  5Borftd)t  now  more  usually  means  precaution;  Divine 
Providence  is  3^DrjeI)ung,  though  ilJorfidjt  may  have  that  meaning. 

Line  29.  berfcnnen  =  Fr.  meconnaitre.  Transl.  "  if  they  fail  to 
render  you  justice  here ;  "  fterfennen  may  be  translated  by  to  "  fail  to 
render  justice  "  throughout  this  passage. 

Page  164,  line  4.     Tome,  queen  at  cards. 

Line  12.  5$l)vcnllt)egen,  so  Lessing,  now  usually  Sl)rcth)cgen.  "  The 
compounds  with  tuegen  and  I)anien  are  really  dative  plurals ;  irteirtcn 
ttegen,  bcinen  I)alben.  After  n  sprang  up  the  excrescent  t :  mcincnt; 
iDCgett,  bcincut^albcn,  current  in  the  sixteenth  century.  These  became 
the  now  classical  incinctiDcgcn,  beinctf)alben,  though  the  longest  forms 
are  still  heard"  (Brandt,  Ger.  Gram.,  4th  ed.,  §  81). 

Lines  14,  15.  Shakespeare  was  familiar  to  the  German  public  at 
this  time. 

Line  18.  bid  abnlici)C§  titit  i^m.  Like  him  in  his  high  sense  of 
honor,  and  in  leaving  his  owu  country  to  lend  his  arm  to  a  foreign 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  233 

power.  Courland  was  then  a  petty  independent  duchy ;  it  is  now  a 
province  of  Russia.  The  question  why  the  Moor  was  in  foreign  ser- 
vice causes  Tellheim's  abstraction  and  deep  thought,  out  of  which 
Minna  had  to  arouse  him. 

Line  21.    ber  iubc»  tjertieft,  that  is,  in  (Sebanfen  bertieft. 

Page  165,  line  5.     ^d)  [temme  m\6)  =  ^6)  toiberjet^e  mic^. 
Line  11.    ^c^  muB  SI)nen  ing  ffi3ort  fallen  =  ^6)  muB  <5ie  unters 
bred)ert. 

Line  14.    gefallen  fein,  for  ouSgefallen  fcin. 

Page  166,  line  1.    nur  jetjt,  not  unfrequent  for  eben  je^t,  focben. 

Line  2.  niebergeicf)laGcn,  "suppressed."  urgiert  =  Dorgebrad^t, 
"  brought  forward,  urged."     Cf.  Act  V.,  Sc.  IX.,  p.  181,  1.  22. 

Line  5.  entlaben,  "  exonerate,"  according  to  an  earlier  use  of  the 
word. 

Line  6.  Wan  rtirb  mic^  hJoHen  laufcn  laffcn,  "they  want  me  to 
leave."  Notice  the  order  of  the  Avords  where  the  past  participial  form 
(like  the  present  infinitive)  tDOllen  is  placed  before  the  two  infinitives. 
Cf.  Brandt,  Ger.  Gram.  4th  ed.,  §  345.  laufen  below  may  be  trans- 
lated "  I  won't  leave." 

Lines  14,  15.  bon  aCen  Stngcn,  generally  ubcr  otle  Swinge  ur= 
teilen. 

Lines  28,  29.  untertcegen§,  so  Lessing  instead  of  untertoegg.  This 
dialectical  form  (unterlnegen§)  arose  from  the  M.  H.  G.  form  unber= 
tt)egen  (dat.  pi.  of  ineg).  Cf.  Lutlier,  2  Mos.  iv.,  24) :  '!JU§  cr  untcr= 
niegen  in  bcr  Jgerberge  mar.  Others  use  the  same  form.  After  the 
analogy  of  untertoeg§,  abfeit§,  etc.,  it  assumed  the  inorganic  §. 

Line  30.  beffen  blinbe  3ai^llici)fcit.  Blind  to  his  loss  of  property 
and  disgrace,  according  to  his  own  way  of  looking  at  the  situation. 

Page  167,  line  6.  bunt,  synonymous  with  org  ;  cr  mac^t  c§  S^nen 
ein  ttjenig  ,^u  bunt  =  cr  bcrfiibTt  ein  lucnig  ju  org  mit  S^ncn.  "  He 
goes  a  little  too  far,"  "  he  is  a  little  too  severe  with  you."  Cf.  English: 
"  he  makes  it  lively  for  you." 

Line  10.  51Benn  id)  Sie  Ujcnigcr  licbtc ;  supply,  fo  ftiiirbc  ic^  nid^t 
]o  uneigenniitjig  fcin,  tciirbc  id)  burd)  Sie  mein  ©liicf  3U  mac^en  fudf)cn. 

Line  15.  (^hcn  fo  gut,  i.  e.,  c§  ift  eben  (gerobc)  fo  gut.  Minna's 
argument  is  that  it  is  a  good  thing  to  be  open-hearted,  but  just  as  good 
for  her,  since  love  must  be  unselfish,  that  she  is  not  open-hearted ;  for 


234  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

his  pity  might  have  granted  what  his  love  denies,  had  she  allowed 
her  selfishness  to  lead  her  astray. 

Lines  19,  20.  ^etne§  mu^  ha§  anberc  tDcber  glUrflid^  noc^  ungliid; 
lic^  madden,  "  neither  must  make  the  other  either  happy  or  unhappy." 
Minna  draws  the  legitimate  conclusion  to  Tellheim's  false  idea  of  true 
Jove,  and  shows  its  absurdity.  The  neuter  includes  both  Minna  and 
Tellheim.    , 

Line  26.     G§  fei  brum,  "  be  it  so." 

Line  31.  gesiert,  *'  Your  refusal  to  marry  me  has  not  been  for  mere 
show,  has  it  ?  "  The  remark  hurts  Tellheim,  as  we  learn  from  his  re- 
ply in  Act  v.,  Sc.  v.,  p.  176,  1.  23;  in  his  astonishment  thereat  he 
mechanically  takes  the  ring. 

Page  168,  line  11.  i^ijjen  Ste  mic^.  Compare  Act  II.,  Sc.  IX., 
p.  118,  1.  15.     Lessing  was  fond  of  such  parallelisms. 


Scene  Seventh. 

Page  169,  lines  1  ff.  Tellheim  is  too  excited  to  notice  the  inconsis- 
tency between  this  and  Minna's  account  of  a  few  moments  before. 
The  plot  here  developed  is  not  too  strained  and  artistic,  but  naturally 
and  cleverly  carried  out.  The  French  crtics  contend  that  Lessing 
here  makes  the  play  too  tragic  for  comedy,  thus  confusing  the  two 
classes.  Lessing  himself  criticises  this  mixture  quite  severely;  but, 
with  most  consummate  art,  he  seems  to  have  touched,  without  passing, 
the  line.  % 

Line  17.    h)a§  fie  ntacf)t  =  mie  jie  fid)  Iiefinbet. 

Line  17.  'HS'k  Ieid}t,  etc.  Said  to  increase  his  desire  to  see  Minna 
again  and  to  arouse  his  anxiety.  It  has  the  desired  effect.  The  whole 
scene  is  excellent,  and  shows  Lessing's  great  tact  in  putting  fallacious 
words  into  the  mouth  of  Franziska  in  order  to  bring  him  back  to  the 
feet  of  Minna. 


Scene  Eighth. 


Page  169,  line  23.  ®a§  ift  bringenber  ;  viz.,  that  he  hunt  up  Wer- 
ner and  get  money  for  immediate  use. 

Line  23.  5lBenn  fie  ernft  fie^t,  "if  she  sees  that  I  am  in  ear- 
nest." 

Line  24.  entftet)en,  signifies  fel)len,  in  which  sense  it  is  used  by 
Wieland,  Herder,  Biirger,  Voss,  Schiller,  and  Jean  Paul  Kichter. 


CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY  NOTES.  235 


ACT  FIFTH. 

In  the  sixth  scene  of  the  foregoing  act  (p.  167, 1.  26),  we  have  the 
catastrophe  in  Minna's  words,  ,,W\x  luoUeii  einauber  nidjt  gefannt 
'i)ahcn."  The  fifth  act  is  occupied  with  the  denouement  of  the  piece, 
representing  the  fate  of  the  personages.  Minna  now  pays  Tellheim 
back  in  his  own  coin  and  refuses  to  marry  him,  because  she  is  in 
trouble.  She  carries  her  joke  too  far,  and  nearly  loses  by  overdoing 
the  matter. 


Scene  First. 


Page  170,  lines  5,  6.  2Bo  ftedtft  bu?  ©tedfen  often  =  fic^  befin^ 
ben,  fein. 

Line  8.    gor  eine  gute  here  =  eine  gar  gute. 

Line  22.  5iBenn,  better  ipanrt,  which  would  be  more  correct  accord- 
ing to  present  use. 

Page  171,  lines  1,  2.     ^^offtaatSfaffe,  "  the  treasury." 

Line  2.  ©elber,  here  "money."  It  is  frequently  used  by  the 
students  in  this  sense,  though  the  plural  generally  means  "sums  of 
money." 

Line  8.  je  nu,  for  je  nun,  "  well  and  good."  For  je  compare  above, 
p.  114,  1.  6. 

Line  27.  CieBer  ^ier  aUc§  im  ©lt(^e  gclofjen,  supply,  qI§  longer 
bleiben.  geloffen  is  the  imperative  use  of  the  past  participle;  cf. 
p.  194,  1.  25.  The  Germans  frequently  use  the  perfect  participle  with 
the  force  of  the  imperative. 

Line  28.  luo  mir  fonft  ein  @Iii(f  aufge^oben  ift,  "  where  some  good 
fortune  is  reserved  for  me." 

Page  172,  line  3.  ^ersenSmojor,  "  my  darling  major,"  a  colloquial 
expression. 


Scene  Third. 


Page  172,  lines  21,  22.     (?§  trar  mir,  qI§  ob  ic^  S^ire  6timmc 
l^orte,  "  It  seemed  to  me  I  heard  your  voice." 


236  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

Lines  23,  24.  wa§  mad)i  bein  tjrduleini  Compare  above,  p.  169, 
11.  16,  17. 

Page  173,  line  3.  igift  bu  ntrf)t  flug  ?  "are  you  out  of  your 
senses  ?  "  cf.  bu  bift  nid^t  redjt  gefdjeib. 

Page  173,  line  32,  page  174,  line  1.  Dollig  3U  5lBafjer  modfjen,  "  swal- 
low up  her  whole  property." 

Lines  3,  4.  yjiannS  Qcnug,  "man  enough;"  cf.  Fr.  ne  suis-je  pas 
assez  hoiiwie,  homme  a?  .  .  .  This  is  the  partitive  genitive,  the  force 
of  which,  however,  is  hardly  more  felt  than  in  our  "  enough  of  a 
man." 

Lines  5  and  9.    Ijcrcin,  for  Ijincin,  as  above. 

Line  9.  erft,  here  only  emphatic;  transl.  "Please  come  later,  at 
least." 


Scene  Fourth. 

Page  174,  line  15.  eine  ftubterte  liBenbung,  accusative  instead  of 
genitive.  Cf.  Schiller,  3iat  bebUrfte  mcin  Sogling  ^arl  niemolS.  The 
accusative,  as  well  as  the  genitive,  was  used  with  this  verb,  and  is  now 
very  common. 

Scene  Fifth. 

Page  175,  line  22.    ct^olten,  for  be!)alten. 

Line  29.     erloffcn,  in  the  now  obsolete  sense  of  entlaffett. 

Page  176,  line  15.  ba  ift  feine  ©ctualt  in  bcr  2BeIt,  etc.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  Minna  has  her  own  ring,  and  means  that  no 
power  on  earth  can  make  her  break  off  her  eugagement  with  Tell- 
heim ;  he  naturally  understands  the  opposite. 

Page  177,  lines  24-28.  umneBelt  ...  in  bcm  tJoHften  ®angc  be§ 
©mde§  .  .  .  fic^  Xag  jc^affen  .  .  .  i^re  3:od^tcr,  bQ§  gjJilletb  .  .  .  tnit 
bcm  finftcrn  ©dimcr^c  .  .  .  nllc  3uficirtge  bcr  ©ecle  .  .  .  This  passage 
very  justly  mirrors  the  blissful  mood  of  the  lover ;  it  is  the  energetic, 
figurative  language  of  the  heart  to  express  the  reawakened  love  of 
Tellheim. 


CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  237 

Line  25.  ©angc,  most  editors  have  changed  it  to  ©Ian3c;  it  here 
means  "  progress," 

Page  178,  line  12.  2BcId^c  Sienftc,  etc.  This  seems  rather  boast- 
ful on  the  part  of  Tellheira,  but  we  cannot  hold  him  to  a  strict  account 
for  what  he  is  saying  in  his  present  state  of  exaltation. 


Scene  Sixth. 

Page  178,  line  18.     ^^^elbidger,  here  "  orderly." 

Page  179,  line  8.  QU§3u[raGcn,  for  au§3ufinbcn,  "to  hunt  up." 
auSfragcn  is  here  used  in  the  peculiar  sense  of  erfragen,  "  to  learn  by 
inquiry."  The  orderly  had  learned  from  Kiccaut  (who  knew  nothing 
of  the  major's  removal)  that  Tellheim  was  at  "The  King  of  Spain." 
In  his  vexation  Tellheim  had  neglected  to  give  his  address,  and  Ric- 
caut,  who  chanced  to  know  it,  had  nothing  better  to  do  than  to  hasten 
to  bring  Tellheim  the  good  news. 


Scene  Seventh. 

Page  179,  line  28.  inbe§  ba^  here  =  tDdf)renb,  "whilst,"  the  old 
meaning  of  inbe^. 

Scene  Eighth. 

Page  180,  line  5.  §err  SBirt  ?  Eranziska  cannot  for  the  moment 
realize  why  the  landlord  should  come,  but  quickly  remembers  his 
curiosity. 

Scene  Ninth. 

Page  180,  lines  18,  19.  ^a'^tn  Sie  .  .  .  gut  jcin,  "be  reconciled 
with,"  etc. 

Line  20.    ^Sorbittcrin,  for  gUrbitterin. 

Lines  23.    ex  l)Qt  fic^  au^  ^ier  nid^t  Derlcuonet.   Frederick  II.,  king 


238  CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

of  Prussia.  The  iutroduction  upon  the  stage  of  the  reigning  king  was 
an  unheard-of  innovation  then.  Nor  can  Lessing  be  called  an  abject 
flatterer  for  his  praise  of  the  great  king ;  it  is  well  known  that  he  sin- 
cerely admired  him,  though  he  had  been,  as  he  thought,  ill  treated 
by  him. 

Page  181,  line  12.     (Scfaae,  also  often  ®ef alien. 

Line  15.  3dj  lljue  (5ud)  ju  iDijjen,  official  style,  "I  hereby  inform 
you."  The  phrase  was  also  used  in  old  English;  cf.  2  Cor.  viii.  1, 
James  I.'s  Aversion,     ^anbel,  "suit,"  "affair,"  "action." 

Line  17.  ^JJtctn  Sruber,  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia.  Wax  be§  D^ciljern 
babon  unterrid)tet,  "  was  informed  of  the  particulars  about  it."  Ad- 
verbial genitive  ;  cf.  einen  cinc§  ^^efjern  untcrric^ten,  or  belct)ren.  Gen- 
erally, however,  fid)  Don  ©tlna^  untcrrid^tcn. 

Line  20.    beiuu^ten,  "well-known." 

Line  23.  ntcberjd)tagen,  for  niebergefdjlagett.  Cf.  p.  166,  1.  2, 
where  the  right  form  is  employed. 

Line  25.  ^-Brnliour  and  atfcftioniert  below  are  the  only  two  French 
words  in  the  letter,  which  is  remarkable  in  the  mouth  of  Frederick  II., 
who  hardly  spoke  his  native  tongue.  The  German  is  excellent,  and 
the  official  style  shows  that  Lessing  had  improved  his  opportunities 
extremely  well  while  secretary  to  General  Tauenzien  in  Breslau. 

Page  182,  lines  2-4.     This  was  a  gracious  confession  for  a  Saxon, 
and  must  have  produced  an  excellent  effect. 
Line  27.    !^eftimmung  =  ^^cruf ,  "  profession." 

Page  183,  lines  3,  4.  ben  ftillften,  'I)eitcrften,  ladjenbften  2BinfeI; 
cf .  Goethe's  beautiful  verses :  — 

„©d)on  i[t  mir  ba§  %^al  gefunben, 
2B0  n3ir  einft  gufammen  ge^n 
Unb  ben  Strom  in  ^tbenbftunben 
©anft  I)inunter  gleiten  ]d)n, 
®tefe  ^appcln  ouf  ben  !ffiiefen, 
2)iefe  S5ud)en  in  bem  S^a'm 
^d) !  unb  f; inter  alien  biejen 
SOBirb  bod)  auc^  ein  §iittd)cn  jein." 

Line  17.      cin  6ngel,  cf.  Lessing's  epigram  written  in  the  album 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  239 

of  one  believing  his  friend  without  a  blemish,  and  his  beloved  an 
angel :  — 

,,2;rau  fcirtcm  fyrcunbc  jonber  9JJdngcI, 
Unb  liel)  ein  2Jtdbd;cn,  fcincn  Gniicl." 

Line  24.  Bet  f etner  flieflenbcn  §it]e,  "  with  his  intermittent  heat." 
We  must  recollect  that  Tellheim  was  cold  when  he  considered  himself 
disgraced.    Now  his  love  is  at  a  white  lieat. 

Page  184,  line  6.  (^litterjettc,  lit.  "tinsel  side,"  here  "bright 
side;"  bie  gliin^enbe  @eitc. 

Line  14.  t)a§  fid)  tfjm  on  ben  ^opf  geioorfen,  cf.  Fr.  se  Jeter  a  la 
tete.  The  more  usual  form  now  is  fi(^  an  ben  ^a(§  toerfen.  Cf.  how- 
ever, Lessing,  mid)  foldjcn  IJeutcn  an  ben  ^opf  luerfen  ;  Wieland,  fic^ 
einem  mi5t)ergnu(]tcn  ^^odet  on  1)^x1  ^opf  ircrfen  ;  Schiller,  ^f^r  twcrft 
euc^  i^m  an  ben  ^opf.  The  latter  expression  is  stronger  than  fid)  an 
ben  ^al»  trerfen,  and  not  uucommon. 

During  the  whole  scene  Minna  is  turning  the  major's  arguments 
against  him,  thus  deepening  the  really  comical  effect. 

Line  19.  5^un  ba  !  Qualifying  assertions  or  wishes,  this  expres- 
sion is  of  frequent  occurrence ;  the  particle  ba  is  then  strengthening 
and  bears  the  principal  stress,  as  our  "  There  now,  you  see." 

Line  21.  ein^uneljmen,  as  in  the  expression  einen  SetDciS,  eincn 
SSorinurf  cinne^men.  The  figure  is  taken  from  the  medical  art,  and 
refers  to  the  swallowing  of  physic.  A  similar  figurative  use  of  cin= 
ftecf en  is  now  of  frequent  occurrence.  We  likewise  say  "  swallow  or 
pocket  an  insult." 

Line  27.  Compare  the  oaths  of  Portia  and  Nerissa  at  the  end  of 
Shakespeare's  "  Merchant  of  Venice." 

Page  185,  line  1.  S^en  <Stab  bred)en,  an  expression  taken  from 
the  law.  Formerly  a  small  white  staff  was  broken  over  the  criminal 
condemned  to  death,  and  then  thrown  at  his  feet. 

Line  7.     (?§  f ei,  Fr.  soit,  "  either." 

Lines  17,  18.  ^rf)  trill  ben  ^43rief  ntc^t  befommen  fiaben,  "I  will 
act  as  if  I  had  not  received  the  letter." 

Line  24.  er  ift  unfef)16ar  gerriffen;  present  for  future,  for  emphasis, 
and  to  express  the  certainty  of  the  action. 


240  CRITICAL   AND   EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 


Scene  Tenth. 

Page  187,  lines  16,  17.  The  exaltation  of  Tellheim's  love  is  to 
turn  to  its  opposite.  The  wished-for  discovery  of  his  mistake  is  at 
last  made,  but  the  effect  is  different  from  what  Minna  had  expected. 
She  smiled  at  the  clever  ruse  by  which  she  had  returned  the  major's 
ring,  and  now  thought  to  bring  him  to  his  senses,  so  that  all  would 
pass  off  with  a  hearty  laugh,  but  she  had  miscalculated  Tellheim's 
character. 

Line  28.  mir  ben  mcinigcn  3U3ujd)an3cn.  ©inem  (5th)Q§  3ujd)Qn= 
3cn  generally  means  to  procure  something  for  any  one  in  an  under- 
handed way.  Here  the  meaning  is  "  to  juggle  me  into  taking  mine 
back." 


Scene  Eleventh. 

Page  188,  line  15.  ^Ke  @iite  ift  58erfteflitng,  a  stab  at  Minna. 
Tellheim's  misanthropic  mood  has  returned. 

Line  20.  ben  ;  namely,  the  following  {padz  bid^).  &aUt,  here 
*'  anger,"  "  spleen." 

Page  189,  line  7.     ^u  !    Interjection  denoting  a  cold  shudder. 


Scene  Twelfth. 

Page  190,  line  27.  ben  ic^  .  .  .  ben  6ie,  supply  the  antecedent 
bcrienigc. 

Page  191,  line  16.  ^d)recf!^aft  is  rarely  used  in  the  sense  of  "dread- 
ful," for  which  meaning  fdjrc(iti(^  is  employed.  But  Goethe,  Schiller, 
and  Platen  use  jd^redl^aft  in  this  sense. 


Scene  Thirteenth. 

Page  192,  line  16.     As  Saxon  the  count  could  not  love  Prussian 
officers,  but  he  could  love  the  individual  Tellheim.     Cf.  Lessing's  say- 


CRITICAL    AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES.  241 

ing;    ,,(?§  tft  flor,  Xrim  l^affct  bie  (\an]c  9iation,  meld^c  fcinem  SSatcr^ 

lonbe  feinbfclic3  ift ;  aber  er  tann  jcbe§  ^nbitiibium  au§  berjelben  (iebcn, 

tuenn  e»  2iebe  oerbient." 

Line  19.     ^n  n)cld)em  ^leibe,  etc.     Cf.  Schiller  iu  Wallenstein's 

Lager ;  — 

,,2!cr  gan3e  Untcrfc^ieb  ift  in  ben  Dtocfcn, 
Unb  id)  ganj  gern  mag  in  mcinem  ftccfcn." 


Scene  Fourteenth. 

Page  193,  line  17.  Xolpcl,  "  clodpole,"  for  offering  him  the 
money  so  inopportunely  and  when  the  major  was  so  excited. 

Line  18.  fyud)tel,  Segen  mit  brcilcr  ^(ingc,  then  ein  (5rf)(ng  mit 
berjclbcn.  The  plural  is  generally  (Jud)tcln.  Here  it  means  blows  with 
the  flat  of  the  sword. 


Scene  Fifteenth. 

Page  194,  lines  18,  19.  §err  2Bad)tmei[tcr  . .  .  ^rau  2Ba(^tmeifter= 
in  ?     Mr.  Sergeant-major  .  .  .  Mrs.  Sergeant-major  ? 

Lines  24,  25.  ^^err  Walox,  nid)t  gro^  getfion  !  Past  participle 
employed  as  imperative.     "Major,  no  boasting!" 

Line  28.  j^xan  (Seneralin,  lit.  Mrs.  General,  grau  (Senerol  is  now 
better  taste. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


The  first  list  contains  the  full  titles  of  the  works  employed  in  writ- 
ing the  biographical  sketch  of  Lessing  and  the  Critical  Analysis  of 
his  Minna  von  Baruhelm.  In  the  Introduction  tliey  are  quoted  simply 
by  the  authors'  names.  General  works  on  German  literature  are  omit- 
ted, except  such  as  are  particularly  valua])le  for  tlie  study  of  Lessing. 
The  second  list  contains  a  complete  catalogue  of  the  books  referred  to 
in  the  notes  to  the  text. 


Biedermann.  —  Deutschland  im  Achtzehnten  .Tahrhundert.  Yon  Karl 
Biederniann,  2te  Aufl.    Leipzig :  Verlagshandlung  von  J.  J.  AVeber, 

1880. 

Claassen.  —  Gotthold  Ephraim  Lessings  Leben  im  Lichte  der  Christ- 
lichen  Wahrheit.  Yon  Joliannes  Claassen.  GUtersloh:  Druck  und 
Yerlag  von  C.  Bertelsmann,  1881. 

Danzel.  —  Gotthold  Ephraim  Lessing.  Sein  Leben  und  Seine  "\Terke. 
2te  Aufl.  Yon  Th.  W.  Danzel  und  G.  E.  Guhrauer.  Berlin; 
Yerlag  von  Theodor  Hofmann,  1880. 

Gottsched   und   Seine   Zeit.      Yon   Th.   W.  Danzel.      2te   Aufl. 
Leipzig:   Yerlag  der  Dyk'schen  Buchhandlung,  1855. 

De  Stael.  —  De  L'Allemagne.   Par  Madame  De  Stael.    Paris :  Librai- 

rie  de  Firmin-Didot  et  Cie.,  1876. 
Fischer.  —  G.  E.  Lessing  als  Reformator  der  deutschen  Literatur  dar- 

gestellt  von  Kuno  Fischer.      Stuttgart:    Yerlag  der  J.  G.  Cotta'- 

schen  Buchhandhmg,  1881. 


244  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Goring.  —  Lessings  Leben  von  Hugo  Goring.     Stuttgart :  G.  J.  Cot- 

ta'sche  Buchhaudluug,  1884. 
Hedge.  —  Hours  with  German  Classics.     By  Frederic  Henry  Hedge. 

Boston  :  Roberts  Brothers,  1886. 
Hettner.  —  Literaturgescliichte  des  Achtzehnten  Jahrhunderts.      4te 

Aufl.     Von  Hermann  Hettner.     Braunschweig :  Druck  und  Verlag 

von  Friedrich  Vieweg  und  Sohn,  1881. 

Perry.  —  From  Opitz  to  Lessing.  By  Thomas  Sergeant  Perry.  Bos- 
ton:  James  R.  Osgood  and  Company,  188.5, 

Prolsz.  —  Geschichte  des  neueren  Dramas.  Von  Robert  Prolsz.  Leip- 
zig:    Verlag  von  Bernhard  Schlicke,  1880. 

Scherer.  —  Geschichte  der  Deutschen  Litteratur.  Von  Wilhelm 
Scherer.     Berlin:  Weidmannsche  Buchhandlung,  1883. 

Schmidt.  —  Lessing.  Geschichte  seines  Lebens  und  seiner  Scbriften. 
Von  Dr.  Erich  Schmidt.      Berlin :    Weidmannsche  Buchhandlung, 

1884. 

Sime.  —  Lessing.    By  James  Sime.    Second  Edition.    London  :  Triib- 

ner  &  Co.     Ludgate  Hill,  1879. 
Stahr.  —  G.  E.  Lessing.     Sein  Leben  und  seine  Werke.     Von  Adolph 

Stahr.      9te   Aufl.      Berlin:    Verlag   von   Brachvogel   und    Ranft, 

1887. 

Taylor.  —  Studies  in  German  Literature,  By  Bayard  Taylor.  New 
York:  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  1879. 

TI. 

Althaus.  —  Erorterungen  liber  Lessings  Minna  von  Barnhelm.  Von 
Dr.  August  Althaus.     Berlin :  R.  Gaertuers  Verlagsbuchhandlung, 

1883. 

Andresen.  —  Sprachgebrauch  und  Sprachrichtigkeit  im  Deutschen. 
Von  Karl  Gustaf  Andresen.  3te  Aufl.  Heilbronn :  Verlag  von 
Gebr.  Henuinger,  1883. 

Buchhsim.  —  Minna  von   Barnhelm.      Fourth   Edition.      By    C  A. 

Buchheim.      Oxford  :    Clarendon  Press,  1882. 
Diintzer.  —  Lessings  Minna  von   Barnhelm    erlautert  von   Heinrich 

Diintzer.     4te  Aufl.     Leipzig:   Ed,  Wartigs  Verlag,  1884. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  245 

Lehmann.  —  Forscliuugen  iiber  Lessings  Sprache.  Von  Prof.  Dr. 
August  Lehmanu.  Brauuschweig :  Druck  unci  Verlag  von  George 
Westermanii,  1875. 

Levy.  —  Les^sing.  Minna  de  Barnlielm.  Par  B.  Levy.  Paris:  Librai- 
rie  Hachette  &  Cie.,  1880. 

Naumann  —  Lessing's  Minna  von  Barnlielm.  ]Mit  vollstandigem  Kom- 
meutar.  Von  Dr.  Julius  Naumann.  2te  Auti.  Leipzig :  Verlag 
von  Siegismund  &  Volkeniug. 

Niemeyer.  —  Lessings  Minna  von  Barnlielm.  Historisch-kritische  Ein- 
leitung  nebst  fortlaufendem  Commentar.  Von  Prof.  Dr.  Eduard 
Kiemejer.     2te  Aufl.     Dresden:  Carl  tlockner,  1877. 

Sanders.  —  Worterbucli  der  Hanptscliwierigkeiten  in  der  deutschcn 
Sprache.  Von  Prof.  Dr.  Daniel  Sanders.  13tli  Aufl.  Berlin: 
Langensclieidt'sclie  Verlags-Bnchhandlung,  1882. 

Schmidt.  —  Lessing's  Minna  von  Barnhelm.  By  J.  A.  E.  Schmidt. 
Second  Edition  Eevised.      London  :  Williams  and  Norgate,  1881 

Schuchardt.  —  Piccaut  de  la  Marliniere,  ein  Beitrag  zur  Erklarung 
von  Lessings  Minna  von  Rarnhelm,  vom  Gymnasiallehrer  Dr.  Schuch- 
ardt, Gymnasium  zu  Schleiz,  1878-9.  Schleiz:  Druck  von  li. 
RosenthaL 

Whitney.  —  Minna  von  Barnhelm.  By  TV.  D.  "Whitney.  New  Yorkr 
Henry  Holt  and  Company,  1876. 

References  to  grammars  will  be  easily  understood,  therefore  the 
full  titles  need  not  be  included  in  this  list. 


ADDENDUM. 


RiCCAUT    DE    LA    MaRLINI^RE,    ETC. 

Page  146,  lines  21,  22.     Is  it  permitted.  Major  1 

Lines  25,  26.  Good  heavens !  ^d)  bin  unric^tig.  But  no  —  ^(^ 
bin  ntd)t  unrid)tic3,  'tis  his  room. 

Page  147,  lines  1,  2.  ;^[t  fo!  Major  Tellheim;  just  so,  my  pretty 
child,  'tis  he  that  I  seek.     Where  is  he  1 

Lines  4,  5.  How?  6r  logierte  (iuo()ntc)  nod)  t)or  t)ier  unb  gmanjig 
©tunbcn  ()icr.    Unb  locjicrt  er  nid)t  mefjr  ^ier  ?    2Bo  logiert  cr  bcnn  ? 

Lines  8,  9.    Ah,  Madam,  Mademoiselle,  ^I)ro  (^naben  Der^ciljen. 

Lines  15,  16.  Ah,  that  is  one  of  his  politenesses  !  The  Major  is  a 
very  polite  man  ! 

Lines  18,  19.  ^^ro  ©naben  iDiffen  e§  nii^t  ?  Tis  a  pity;  I'm 
sorry  for  it. 

Line  23.    ^c^  bin  je!)r  fein  i^reunb. 

Lines  26,  27.  ^d)  t)dtte  e§  fel)r  notloenbig  i^m  gu  fpred^en.  Sd^ 
fomme,  i()m  eine  yZad)rtd)t  3u  bringen,  ooriiber  er  fid)  fefjr  freuen  luirb. 

Line  32.     !ijd)  Ucrftel)e.     Mademoiselle  speaks  French  1 

Page  148,  lines  1-3.  But  of  course  you  do ;  such  as  I  see  you  are ! 
The  question  was  very  impolite ;  you  Avill  pardon  me,  Mademoiselle. 

Line  5.    5Zid)t  ?    Sie  jpred^en  nid)t  i^ran^bfijd),  Sfjro  (^nabcn  ? 

Lines  11-16.  ©ut  !  @ut !  ^d)  tann  mi^  and:)  auf  5)eutjd)  (c^piU 
cieren)  tierftdnbtic^  mac^en.  You  must  know,  then.  Mademoiselle,  ^^ro 
(^naben  foUen  alfo  luiffen,  baB  id)  'oon  ber  2;afel  (bei  bem)  be»  ^JJtiniftera 
fomme,  be§  5Jiinifter»  oon  —  DJiinifterS  Oon  —  n?ie  Ijeifet  ber  D^iinifler 
bo  braufeen  ?  in  ber  (angen  ©traBe  —  awf  bem  breiten  ^4^1q1j  ? 

Lines  18-page  149,  line  11.  ^JJun,  ber  yjiini[ter  bon  bem  li'rteg§; 
bepartement.     £a  Ijabe  ic^  ju  9J^ittag  gejpeift.     "-^d^  O'P'^OO  ^il^  9^= 


248  ADDENDUM. 

tt)of)nli(i)  bei  i{)m,  —  unb  ba  ift  man  t)arauf  gefommen,  Don  bcm  ^iafor 
2:eUt)eini  p  reben.  And  the  Minister  told  me  in  confidence  —  for 
his  Excellency  is  one  of  my  friends,  and  there  are  no  secrets  between 
us  — jeine  (iEcellcn^,  uiill  id)  jagen,  f)at  mir  Oertraut,  baB  bie  Sac^e 
unfereS  yjiajorg  (auf  bem  H^unfte  jei)  im  '-Kcgriff  fteljt  311  enben,  unb 
gut  p  enben.  (5r  l)abe  bem  ^onig  einen  ^43crid)t  erftattet,  unb  ber 
Albnig  habc  bamuf  gan^  gu  (^unften  bcy  yjJajora  entl'djcibcn.  "  Sir," 
his  Excellency  said  to  me,  "you  understand  Avell  that  everything  de- 
pends on  the  way  the  king  is  made  to  look  at  things,  and  you  know 
me.  This  Tellheim  is  a  right  clever  fellow,  and  do  I  not  know  that 
you  love  him  ?  The  friends  of  my  friends  are  also  mine  (149).  This 
Tellheim  costs  the  king  somewhat  dearly,  but  does  one  serve  kings  for 
nothing '?  We  must  aid  one  another  in  this  world ;  and  wdien  it  is  a 
question  of  losses,  let  the  king  be  the  loser,  and  not  one  of  our  honest 
fellows.  That  is  the  principle  from  which  I  never  depart."  3i^a^ 
fagen  ^(jro  (^naben  Ijier^u  ?  ^Jtid)t  waijx,  \)a^  ift  ein  bracer JJJlann  ? 
Ah!  but  his  Excellency  has  his  heart  in  the  right  place!  ilbrigenS 
I)at  er  mid)  \)crfid)ert,  lucnn  ber  yjiajor  nid)t  jd)on  einen  Ionig[id)en 
^aubbrief  befommen  i)abc,  fo  miiffe  er  I)eute  einen  unfebtbor  befommen. 

Lines  16-page  150,  line  2.  Meinen  ^JJamen  njlinjd^en  Sl)rD  ©na^ 
ben  ?  You  see  in  me  —  -^[)xo  C^nabcn  feben  in  mir  the  Chevalier  Ric- 
caut  de  la  Marliniere,  Seignior  of  Pret-au-val  of  the  Branch  of  Preus- 
d'or.  '-^[)xo  iSmUn  fteben  t)ern3unbert,  ju  t)oren,  bafe  ic^  au§  einer  jo 
groBen  ^amitie  b^rfomme,  which  is  really  of  royal  blood.  I  must  say 
it ;  I  'm  undoubtedly  the  most  adventurous  younger  son  that  the  house 
has  ever  had.  l^jct)  biene  |d)Dn  jett  meinem  elften  ^Qt)re.  (Sine  ^\)xtn'^ 
fttd)e  oeranlofet  micb  5U  ffieben.  Xarnuf  ^ahc  id)  feiner  pcipftlicben  ^pei^ 
ligfeit,  ber  Stepublif  ^t.  ^Jhuino,  ber  ^rone  ^i^olen,  unb  "ocn  ©eneraU 
etaaten  gebient,  big  id)  enblid)  bierbci*  gegogen  bin.  Ah,  Mademoiselle, 
how  I  wish  I  had  never  seen  this  country  !  ^pcittc  nmn  mid)  im  3)tenft 
ber  (^eneral=Staaten  gelajjen,  jo  miiBte  id)  jet^t  aujg  loenigjte  (150) 
Cberjt  jein.  ^2lber  jo  bier  immer  unb  emig  f;)ouptmonn  ((Japitcin) 
gcblieben  unb  ietjt  gar  ein  abgebanfter  ipauptmann  ,^u  jein  — 

Lines  4,  5.  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  here  I  am  dismissed  and,  moreover, 
thus  kicked  into  the  street. 

Lines  7-13.  You  are  very  kind,  Mademoiselle.  9iein,  '{)kx  t)erjtel)t 
man  fid)  nid)t  auf  haQ  UJerbienjt  (or,  erfennt  nmn  ba§  ^-b'erbienjt  nid)t 
on).  (Sinen  ^JJtann  mt  mid)  ab.^ubanfen  1  (Sinen  ^JJIann,  ber  jid)  nod) 
baju  in  biejem  2)ienjt  (ruinierl)  ju  (^runbe  gerid)tet  t)at  I    S^  ^abz 


ADDENDUM.  249 

bnftei  me'^r  qI»  swan^tg  toujcnb  Livres  ^ugcfet^t.  m?a§  f)aU  \6)  nun  ? 
To  cut  the  matter  short,  I  have  n't  a  red  cent,  and  here  1  am  exactly 
face  to  face  with  nothing. 

Lines  15-page  151,  line  5.  You  are  very  kind,  Mademoiselle, 
^ber  rt)ic  man  ^^n  jagcn  pftc(3t,  {6in  jcbca  Uncjliicf  jd)leppt  jeincn  ^43rubcr 
nad^  fid))  (Sin  Ungtiid  fommt  fctten  allein.  Misfortunes  never  come 
singly.  <Bo  ift  c»  mir  pgcgangen.  5IBo§  fann  ein  Gfjrcnmann  'oon 
meiner  ^Ibftommung  ant)cr»  fur  eine  ^ulfsquelle  1:)abm  al§  bQ§  8pie(  ? 
9iun,  id)  !)abe  immer  mit  ©liic!  gcfpielt,  fo  lange  ic^  t)a^  (Sliicf  nic^t 
(Donnotf)en)  nottuenbig  I)nttt\  Xa  ic^  c»  jet]t  (nonnot^cn)  notig  l^abe, 
Mademoiselle,  I  play  with  an  ill-luck  which  surpasses  all  belief,  ©eit 
fiinf3el)n  Xagen  ift  feiner  t)ergQngen  an  bem  niait  mic^  nidjt  gefprengt 
\)at  Grft  geftern  Ijat  man  mid)  breimal  gefprengt.  I  know  very  well 
that  there  was  something  more  than  play  in  it.  For  among  my  point- 
ers were  certain  ladies,  ^d)  toill  nic^tg  toeiter  fagen.  (§egen  bie  5)amen 
muB  man  (ga(ant)  pflid)  fein.  §eute  Ijabcn  fie  mid)  aui^  eingelabcn, 
mir  9tetiand)e  ^n  geben  ;  but  —  you  understand  me,  Mademoiselle  — 
man  muB  erft  tt)iffen,  hjotjon  (.^u  leben)  man  lebt,  el)e  man  [!)aben  fann, 
h)ot)on  3u  fpiclen]  etiuas  ^u  fpieteu  f)at. 

Line  7.     You  are  very  kind,  Mademoiselle  — 

Lines  16,  17.  So  much  the  better,  Mademoiselle,  so  much  the  bet- 
ter.    All  people  of  spirit  are  furiously  fond  of  play. 

Lines  22,  23.  How,  Mademoiselle,  yoii  wish  to  go  halves  with  me  ? 
With  all  my  heart. 

Lines  26,  27.     Ah,  Mademoiselle,  how  charming  you  are !  — 

Page  152,  line  3.     Please  give,  Mademoiselle,  give. 

Lines  7-13.  ^amol){,  fcf)r  anfel)n(id).  Sd)n  ^iftolen  ?  S^ro  ©na= 
ben  follen  bafiir  bei  meiner  ^anf  auf  ein  2^ritt(jei(  bet^eiligt  fein.  3mar 
follte  3u  einem  Srittljeil  fein  — etmaS  mef)r.  S^od)  mit  einer  fd)onen 
Same  mu^  man  e§  nid)t  fo  genau  nef)men.  Sc^  gratuliere  mir,  baburc^ 
mit  Sljro  (Snaben  in  !^crbinbung  ^u  fommen,  and  from  this  moment 
I  begin  to  augur  well  of  my  fortune. 

Lines  16,  17.  ma§  braud)en  3f)ro  ©naben  babei  ju  fein  ?  Wiv 
(anbern)  Spie(er  finb  e'^rlid)e  ^cuk  unter  einanber. 

Lines  21,  22.  (go  fomme  id),  Stefruten  ^u  I)oIen.  5Jii(^t  inal^r,  SI)ro 
©naben  ? 

Lines  25,  26.  2Boflir  fel)en  mic^  !i5l)ro  (Snaben  an  ?  t^^iir  einen 
(Sinfaltspinfcl  ?    ^nx  einen  bumnten  ^^eufel  ? 

Lines  28-30.     I  am  up  to  the  tricks  of  the  trade,  Mademoiselle.    Do 


250  ADDENDUM. 

you  know  what  that  means  ?  ^c^  bin  toon  ben  ^lu§gelernten  (=  ^d^ 
t)abe  QuSflelcrnt)  — 

Line  32.     I  know  how  to  play  a  false  trick  — 

Page  153,  line  2.     I  slip  away  a  card  with  a  skill  — 

Line  4.     I  can  stock  the  cards  with  a  dexterity  — 

Lines  6,  7.  illlog  nid)t  ?  S^jvo  (Snaben,  it)a§  nid)t  ?  Give  me  a 
pigeon  to  pluck,  and  — 

Lines  9-13.  How,  Mademoiselle  ?  You  call  that  bctriigen  ?  Cor- 
recting fortune,  get  it  in  one's  own  hands,  be  sure  of  one's  affair,  bn§ 
nennen  bie  S^-cutfd^cn  bctrugen  !  D,  traS  ift  bie  beutfd)e  6prad)e  fUr 
eine  arme  ©brad)e !  flit  cine  ^ilumpe  ©prad^e  ! 

Lines  15-page  154,  line  2.  Leave  me  alone  for  that,  Mademoi- 
selle, unb  feien  6ie  ruljicj.  5lBa§  ge^t  e§  <Sie  on,  tt)ie  ic^  jpiele  ?  (Se^ 
nug,  cntmeber  fe^en  mid)  ^l)ro  ©naben  morgen  trieber  mit  I)unbcrt 
^>PiftDlen,  ober  Sie  fcl;en  tnid)  gar  nid)t  hjieber  —  your  very  humble 
servant,  Mademoiselle,  your  very  humble  servant. 


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Super's  de  Mussel's  Pierre  et  Cainille.     (Price,  15  cents.) 

Le  Bon's  Fraitce''s  Abeille.     (Price,  25  cents.) 

Supe7'''s  Souvestre's  Le  Mari  de  Mine,  de  Solange.     (Price,  15  cents.) 

Fortier''s  de  Vigny^s  Le  Cachet  Rouge.     (Price,  15  cents.) 

Sanderson'' s  Daudet  's  Le  Siege  de  Berlifi  and  La  Derniere  Classe^ 

(Price,  15  cents.) 
Barrere's  Lamartiiie's  Jeanne  d''Arc.     (Price,  30  cents.) 
spiers'^  de   Vigny^s  La  Canne  de Jonc.     (In  press.) 
Warren's   Sandeau's  Mile,  de  la  Seigliere.     (In  press.) 
Super's  Souvestre's  Confessions  d'un  Ouvrier.     (Price,  25  cents.) 
Boielle's  Daiidet  's  La  Belle-Nivernaise.     (Price,  25  cents.) 
Boielle's  Victor  H^igo's  Bug  Jargal.     (Price,  40  cents.) 
Price's  Choix  d^Extraits  de  Daudet     (Price,  15  cents.) 
Delbos'  Piron's  La  Metroinanie.    (Price,  40  cents.) 
Case's  Moliere's  Le  Medecin  malgre  lui.     (Price,  15  cents.) 
Case's  Moliere's  Le  Bourgeois  Gentilhoinme.     (Price,  25  cents.) 
Case's  Moliere's  Le  Tartuffe.     (Price,  25  cents.) 
Matzke^s  Victor  Hugo's  Hernani.     (In  press.) 
Fortier's  Corneille''s  Polyeucte.     (In  press.) 
Fortier's  Sept  Grands  Auteurs  du  XI Xe  Siecle.     (Price,  60  cents..? 

Lectures  in  French  on  Lamartine,  Hugo,  de  Vigny,  de  Musset,  Gautier,  Merimde,  Cop 

Warren's  Primer  of  French  Literature.     (Price,  75  cents.) 

An  historical  handbook. 

Fontaine'' s  Historiettes  Modernes,  Vol.  /.,  Vol.  /I.  (Price,  60  cents  each. 

Short,  pure  and  unusually  interesting  stories  for  second  year  work.     With  notes. 

Fraser's  Souvestre's  Un  Philosophe  sous  les  Toils.    (Price,  80  cents.) 

In  cloth,  with  notes  and  vocabulary. 

Curine''s  Lamartine' s  Meditations.     (Price,  75  cents.) 

Selections  with  biographical  sketch  and  notes. 

Heath's  French  Dictionary.     (Retail  price,  $1.50.) 

Sufficient  for  students'  use  in  school  and  college. 

Many  other  texts  are  in  preperation. 


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